Effectiveness of vaccinating household contacts in addition to chemoprophylaxis after a case of meningococcal disease: a systematic review.
Hoek, MR;
Christensen, H;
Hellenbrand, W;
Stefanoff, P;
Howitz, M;
Stuart, JM;
(2008)
Effectiveness of vaccinating household contacts in addition to chemoprophylaxis after a case of meningococcal disease: a systematic review.
Epidemiology and infection, 136 (11).
pp. 1441-1447.
ISSN 0950-2688
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268808000770
Permanent Identifier
Use this Digital Object Identifier when citing or linking to this resource.
SUMMARYWe performed a systematic review to estimate the effectiveness of vaccination, in addition to chemoprophylaxis, in preventing meningococcal disease among household contacts. Medline, EMBASE, EMGM, and EUIBIS were used for data collection. Studies reporting on at least 100 primary cases and on subsequent cases in household settings with follow-up of more than 2 weeks after onset of disease in the primary case were reviewed. A meta-analysis was used to calculate the average attack rate in household contacts given chemoprophylaxis 14-365 days after onset of disease in the primary case. In total, 652 studies were identified, five studies and one unpublished report met the inclusion criteria. The weighted average attack rate was 1.1/1000 household contacts (95% CI 0.7-1.7). This review supports vaccination of household contacts in addition to chemoprophylaxis to reduce the risk of meningococcal disease among household contacts of a case caused by a vaccine-preventable serogroup.