Pertussis secondary prevention
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Govindavarjhulla, M.B.B.S. [2]
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Overview
Secondary Prevention
Post exposure prophylaxis
- Postexposure antibiotic prophylaxis is needed for individuals with close contact to a person with pertussis.
- Administration of postexposure therapy to asymptomatic contacts of the infected patient within 21 days of onset of cough can prevent symptomatic infection.[1]
- The recommended antimicrobial agents for treatment or chemoprophylaxis of pertussis are azithromycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxasole can also be used.[1]
Infants
Age ≥1 Month
- Erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin are preferred for the post exposure prophylaxis of pertussis in persons ≥1 month of age.[1]
- For persons ≥2 months of age, an alternative to macrolides is trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.[1]
Age <1 Month
- For infants <1 month of age, azithromycin is preferred for post exposure prophylaxis and treatment because azithromycin has not been associated with infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS), whereas erythromycin has.[1]