Yes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force continues to recommend that all newborns be treated with a topical antibiotic ointment to prevent gonococcal eye infections.
How likely is a newborn to get a gonococcal infection if they don’t get the prophylaxis?
“In the absence of ocular prophylaxis, transmission rates of gonococcal infection from mother to newborn are 30% to 50%.”
How bad is this infection for a newborn?
It can cause “corneal scarring, ocular perforation, and blindness as early as 24 hours after birth.”
