Failure of chemoprophylaxis to prevent meningococcal disease.

Abstract

The ici4 eningococcal disease among household contacts of P tWit-thediseasee is considerably greater than that among the gmera population. ' Chemoprophylaxis is generally recommen- ded to reduce this risk2 (D M Jones, J D Abbott, unpublished report 981, No 12, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre) but may faith because it is given too late, because the infecting organism is rsistat or inaccessible to the agent chosen, or because the drug is not given to the entire household.' We describe an outbreak of meningococcal disease lasting 12 weeks in an extended family in which selective prophylaxis failed to prevent two secondary cases.