Postexposure prophylaxis is the provision of medication to prevent disease in persons who are not protected against a particular disease by vaccination but who have been exposed to it.
Indications (areas of application)
- Persons with close (“face to face”) contact with a diseased person.
- Epidemics or regionally increased morbidity (disease incidence).
Implementation
- In persons with close (“face to face”) contact with a diseased person:
- Chemoprophylaxis – regardless of vaccination status, preventive (prophylactic) antibiotic therapy: penicillin or erythromycin seven to ten days.
- Postexposure vaccination, if the last vaccination 5 years ago.
- At the first appearance of symptoms of diphtheria, the diphtheria antitoxin is administered immediately (= passive immunization).
- In epidemics or regionally increased morbidity.
- Vaccination according to the recommendations of the health authorities
