Abstract

Guidelines on chemoprephylaxis vary between countries and reflect uncertainty about the risk of meningococcal disease in health-care workers. In a retrospective survey of risk in healthcare workers in England and Wales, three pairs of primary cases and health-care workers with secondary infections were identified between 1982 and 1996. Secondary infections were probably caused by exposure to primary cases' respiratory droplets around the time of admission. We estimated an attack rate of 0-8 per 100 000 health-care workers at risk, a risk 25 times that in the general population (p=0.0003). The excess risk is small and inappropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics should be avoided.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1654-1655
Number of pages2
JournalLancet
Volume356
Issue number9242
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Nov 2000

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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