Prevention and Control of Neisseria meningitides infections

Prevention and Control

This includes chemoprophylaxis and vaccines.

◗ Chemoprophylaxis

Antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis of close contacts is the key factor for preventing secondary cases of sporadic meningo-coccal disease. Person-to-person transmission can be inter-rupted by administration of antibiotics, which eradicate the asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carrier state. Sulfonamides, rifampin, minocycline, ciprofloxacin, and ceftriaxone are the drugs frequently used to eradicate meningococci from the nasopharynx. However, ciprofloxacin is not recommended for children, because it has been found to cause cartilage damage in immature experimental animals.

◗ Immunoprophylaxis

Immunoprophylaxis by vaccination with group-specific menin-gococcal capsular polysaccharides of groups A, C, Y, and W135 meningococci is very much useful for prevention of meningo-coccal disease.