Azithromycin to Prevent Pertussis in Household Contacts, Catalonia and Navarre, Spain, 2012-2013

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 26; no. 11; pp. 2678 - 2684
• Main Authors: Alvarez, Josep, Godoy, Pere, Plans-Rubio, Pedro, Camps, Neus, Carol, Monica, Carmona, Gloria, Solano, Ruben, Rius, Cristina, Minguell, Sofia, Barrabeig, Irene, Sala-Farré, Maria R, Rodriguez, Raquel, Garcia-Cenoz, Manuel, Muñoz-Almagro, Carmen, Dominguez, Angela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01-11-2020; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Antibiotic Prophylaxis; Antibiotics; Azithromycin; Azithromycin - therapeutic use; Azithromycin to Prevent Pertussis in Household Contacts, Catalonia and Navarre, Spain, 2012–2013; bacteria; Bordetella pertussis; chemoprophylaxis; Child; Child, Preschool; Disease transmission; effectiveness; Female; Health aspects; household contacts; Households; Humans; Infant; Laboratories; Male; Patients; pertussis; Prevention; Retrospective Studies; Spain - epidemiology; Surveillance; Vaccines; Whooping cough; Whooping Cough - drug therapy; Whooping Cough - epidemiology; Whooping Cough - prevention & control; Young Adult; Spain; effectiveness; bacteria; chemoprophylaxis; azithromycin; household contacts; Bordetella pertussis; antimicrobials; pertussis; prevention; respiratory infections; Spain
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2611.181418

We retrospectively assessed the effectiveness of azithromycin in preventing transmission of pertussis to a patient's household contacts. We also considered the duration between symptom onset in the primary patient and azithromycin administration. We categorized contacts into 4 groups: those treated within <7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, and >21 days after illness onset in the primary patient. We studied 476 primary index patients and their 1,975 household contacts, of whom 4.5% were later identified as having pertussis. When contacts started chemoprophylaxis within <21 days after the primary patient's symptom onset, the treatment was 43.9% effective. Chemoprophylaxis started >14 days after primary patient's symptom onset was less effective. We recommend that contacts of persons with pertussis begin chemoprophylaxis within <14 days after primary patient's symptom onset.