Post-exposure prophylaxis for Middle East respiratory syndrome in Healthcare workers

Publication date: Available online 18 September 2018Source: Journal of Hospital InfectionAuthor(s): So Yeon Park, Jin Seo Lee, Jun Seong Son, Jae-Hoon Ko, Kyong Ran Peck, Younghee Jung, Heung Jeong Woo, Young Soo Joo, Joong Sik Eom, Hyejin ShiSummaryAn effective post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) strategy may limit the spread of infection. However, there is no consensus regarding PEP for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. We assessed the efficacy of ribavirin and lopinavir/ritonavir as PEP for healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to patients with severe MERS-CoV pre-isolation pneumonia. We assessed the safety of PEP regimen. We retrospectively enrolled HCWs with high-risk exposure to MERS-CoV pre-isolation pneumonia. HCWs who received PEP therapy were classified into the PEP group. PEP therapy was associated with a 40% decrease in the risk of infection. There were no severe adverse events during PEP therapy.
Source: Journal of Hospital Infection - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research