The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is amending its guidance to urge everyone over 18 who may be experiencing symptoms of strep throat to get boosters of ciprofloxacin.
The CDC issued its Advisory to Clinic and Patient Services in late March, but the new revision does not require people with long-term throat inflammation to get the second dose. Although this advice was issued in late March, no date for the updated guidance was released.
Omicron, or mycobacterium streptococci, attacks the lining of the throat and can cause scarring in the area of affected tissue that makes swallowing difficult and can lead to sore throat. While there is a yearly reporting period for kids and those with short-term pain or discomfort in their throat, it was not previously recommended for the entire adult population. The burden of having to get an oral strep throat booster “can be heavy for some people and be more difficult to explain,” according to the CDC’s New England Journal of Medicine blog.
“Streptococcus is on the rise in the United States, with 50 million cases and 39,000 deaths each year,” the blog post said. “Omicron infection is on the rise as well, with the annual number of cases rising to 3.3 million.”
There is only one approved inhibitor against omicron, and the CDC recommends getting an oral booster of the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin, the first-line anti-strains-streptococcus therapy used for over 30 years. “Although effectiveness is determined by the individual, for many people the combination of ciprofloxacin and otic streptococcus is successful in preventing disease and often at no cost to a person,” the blog post said.
The advisory letter was released March 30, but the updated guidance on the preventive use of the two otic streptococcus antibiotics for women, Bupivacaine and Ceftriaxone, and men, Ceftriaxone and Bupivacaine, was issued in March 22, according to a news release by the CDC.
Though the advice from the Centers for Disease Control is changing, the CDC still recommends seeking medical attention for any person with symptoms that look like strep throat. It offers a web page where people can find more detailed information on preventing throat infections.