Doha - June 24, 2026: Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have published a comprehensive assessment of the epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea) infection in sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest burden of this infection globally. Published in the high-impact journal PLOS Medicine, the study provides the most detailed synthesis to date of the regional burden, distribution, and epidemiological patterns of gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea is among the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide and is an increasing public health concern because of rapidly growing antimicrobial resistance, which is limiting effective treatment options. The infection can affect the genital tract, rectum, and throat. It may cause symptoms such as pain or burning during urination, abnormal genital discharge, and pelvic or lower abdominal pain, although many infections cause no symptoms and can therefore remain undetected. If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to serious reproductive complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.

The study, conducted by the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at WCM-Q, included complementary components. The researchers first conducted a systematic review of prevalence studies and assembled a large regional database comprising 1,604 gonorrhea prevalence measures from approximately 2.7 million individuals across 40 countries, capturing evidence generated over six decades. They then conducted meta-analyses to generate prevalence estimates across population groups and anatomical sites, and meta-regression analyses to identify epidemiological factors associated with variation in prevalence. Together, these analyses provided a detailed characterization of gonorrhea burden, population-level patterns, subregional differences, and temporal trends across sub-Saharan Africa.

Aisha Osman, a joint first author of the study and researcher at IDEG, said: 'A major finding of our study is that gonorrhea prevalence remains high in sub-Saharan Africa. In the general population, prevalence was estimated at 3.2 percent, equivalent to roughly 1 in every 30 people, a level higher than corresponding estimates reported for other global regions. This finding confirms that sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most affected by this infection worldwide.'

Dr. Hina Akram, also a joint first author, said: 'The study showed that the burden of gonorrhea is even higher in several key and clinically relevant populations. For example, prevalence was 8.6 percent among women with adverse pregnancy or birth outcomes, suggesting an important reproductive health burden. The findings also showed wide variability across subregions, age groups, and population groups, with the highest prevalence generally observed among younger individuals and symptomatic men.'

Bayan Alemrayat, another joint first author of the study, said: 'Although gonorrhea prevalence continues to be high in sub-Saharan Africa, the study found that prevalence has been declining at an estimated relative rate of approximately 1 percent per year. This trend suggests that control strategies, particularly those implemented following the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, have contributed to reducing the burden of gonorrhea in the region. However, the pace of decline remains far below what is needed to achieve the World Health Organization target of reducing gonorrhea incidence by 90 percent by 2030.'

Laith Abu-Raddad, professor at WCM-Q and principal investigator of the study, said: 'These findings have direct implications for public health policy in sub-Saharan Africa. The high burden of gonorrhea, particularly among key populations and younger individuals highlights the need to strengthen targeted testing, improve access to timely diagnosis and effective treatment, expand partner notification services, and reinforce surveillance systems. Given the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, surveillance of infection patterns must also be closely linked with monitoring of drug resistance, to ensure that treatments remain effective and that control programs can respond to the changing burden of infection.'

The study, titled 'Prevalence and epidemiological patterns of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in sub-Saharan Africa, 1964-2025: systematic review, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions,' was supported by the Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council under award number ARG01-0522-230273.