Assessment of national reporting of drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae–United States, 1995-1996

Because of the rapidly emerging resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) infections to penicillin and other antimicrobial agents, the Drug-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae Working Group (DRSPWG) was established in 1993 to develop a strategy to minimize the impact of drug-resistant SP (DRSP). Based on a recommendation from the DRSPWG, in 1994 the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) resolved that each state should designate as reportable to state and federal officials all invasive infections caused by DRSP. In 1995, health departments in 14 jurisdictions (Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and New York City) instituted regulations requiring laboratories to report the isolation of DRSP from specimens obtained from normally sterile sites (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid and blood). To determine the impact of the CSTE resolution on nationwide reporting of DRSP, in May 1996 CDC conducted a telephone survey of public health officials in all states, New York City, and the District of Columbia. This report summarizes the survey findings, which indicate an increase in the proportion of jurisdictions that conduct surveillance for DRSP.