Meningococcal disease in healthcare workers

There is no currently available vaccine against serogroup B strains, which are most common in infants and will increasingly predominate after the introduction of the conjugated meningococcal C vaccine. [...]vaccination of healthcare workers would not obviate the need for chemoprophylaxis as the serogroup is rarely known early in the course of disease. Calculations of the actual risk in these exposed persons are not currently available but, as Gilmore et al say, such information may be published soon. [...]data are available, however, application of the current guidance-that only those participating in mouth to mouth resuscitation of an affected patient receive antibiotics-is at odds with guidelines elsewhere and excludes some individuals whose exposure to the organism may have been considerable.