Communicable disease and health protection quarterly review: July to September 2006. From the Health Protection Agency.

摘要

The Health Protection Agency Meningococcus Forum reviewed and updated the UK guidelines for meningococcal disease on the HPA website in September. This guidance updates the major revision published in 2002 taking account of new evidence and addressing new areas where gaps have been identified. Changes are few and are highlighted in the text. In the absence of data from randomised controlled trials, the Meningococcus Forum continues to advise starting antibiotic treatment before admission to hospital. This advice is based on the potentially very rapid clinical deterioration that can occur in natural progression of illness, the established effectiveness of penicillin in hospital treatment, and the lack of increase in endotoxin levels after treatment. Rapid transfer to hospital on diagnosis of meningococcal disease remains the highest priority. The HPA endorses its advice not to give antibiotics widely in preschool groups after a single case in such a group. The sections on vaccination and chemoprophylaxis have been updated, and examples of patient group directions for mass prophylaxis have been added. Investigation of complement deficiency is now recommended in cases of infection due to rare serogroups or of recurrent infection.