Preventing secondary meningococcal disease in health care workers: recommendations of a working group of the PHLS meningococcus forum.
Based on new data on the risk of secondary meningococcal disease in health care workers, a review of published cases and an assessment of the available evidence, a change to the recommendations for giving chemoprophylaxis to health care workers in England and Wales is proposed. Previous guidance recommended prophylaxis only for those who had given mouth to mouth resuscitation. Chemoprophylaxis is now recommended for health care workers whose mouth or nose has been directly and heavily exposed to respiratory droplets/secretions from a case of meningococcal disease around the time of hospital admission. Wearing surgical face masks is encouraged to reduce risk of exposure.
Stuart
J M
JM
PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (South West), Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester, GL1 3NN. gstuart@phls.org.uk
Gilmore
A B
AB
Ross
A
A
Patterson
W
W
Kroll
J S
JS
Kaczmarski
E B
EB
MacQueen
S
S
Keady
P
P
Monk
P
P
D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D004739:England; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008397:Masks; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D014852:Wales