Is Universal Prophylaxis for Gonococcal Ophthalmia Neonatorum Still Necessary?

Infants born to mothers with untreated gonococcal infection have a 30% to 50% risk for developing gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum (GON), which can cause complications including ocular scarring and blindness. Prenatal screening and treatment of infected women as well as routine infant prophylaxis have reduced the incidence of GON in recent years to 0.4 cases per 100,000 live births. This low incidence requires effective prenatal care to identify infected women, but also prophylaxis for infants born to women who were missed or became reinfected after initial screening. Canada, the U.K., and several other European countries no longer recommend universal infant prophylaxis, relying instead on aggressive maternal screening and treatment strateg…