infectious diseases
Plague and Other Yersinia Infections
Prevention of Plague
All pneumonic plague contacts should be under medical surveillance. Temperature should be taken every 4 hours for 6 days. They and others in close contact with patients who have plague pneumonia or in direct contact with infected body fluids or tissues should receive oral prophylaxis for 7 days with Doxycycline100 mg every 12 hours Ciprofloxacin500 mg every 12 hours For children < 8 years,trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) 20 mg/kg (of the SMX component) every 12 hours Levofloxacintaken for 7 days is an alternative. Travelers should be given prophylaxis withdoxycycline100 mg every 12 hours during exposure periods. Plague vaccines (killed whole-cell and live-attenuated) are no longer available in the US. Rodents should be controlled and repellents used to minimize flea bites. 