Question:medium
What is the mass chemoprophylaxis for meningococcal meningitis?
What is the mass chemoprophylaxis for meningococcal meningitis?
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Drug of choice to clear nasopharyngeal carriage in close contacts.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Rifampicin
- Chloramphenicol
- Tetracycline
- Penicillin
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Prophylaxis in meningococcal disease aims to clear the bacteria from the throats of close contacts and stop further transmission.
Step 2: The first-line agent for this purpose is rifampicin, dosed twice daily for two days, with the dose adjusted by age (lower in young infants, higher beyond one month).
Step 3: Where rifampicin is unsuitable, a single dose of intramuscular ceftriaxone or oral ciprofloxacin in adults serves as an alternative, but rifampicin remains the textbook choice.
Step 4: Penicillin treats the established infection but is not used for carrier eradication, and chloramphenicol and tetracycline are not preferred prophylactics, leaving rifampicin as the answer. \[\boxed{\text{Rifampicin}}\]
Step 2: The first-line agent for this purpose is rifampicin, dosed twice daily for two days, with the dose adjusted by age (lower in young infants, higher beyond one month).
Step 3: Where rifampicin is unsuitable, a single dose of intramuscular ceftriaxone or oral ciprofloxacin in adults serves as an alternative, but rifampicin remains the textbook choice.
Step 4: Penicillin treats the established infection but is not used for carrier eradication, and chloramphenicol and tetracycline are not preferred prophylactics, leaving rifampicin as the answer. \[\boxed{\text{Rifampicin}}\]
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