Public health problems posed by the occurrence of Haemophilus meningitis in limited communities and especially its chemophophylaxis

: In Val-de-Marne District there is a permanent medical network to check up all cases of infectious meningitis. H. influenzae meningitis are increasing and represent 25% of all purulent meningitis (mainly infants of less than 6 years old) diagnosed in this area, second only to the meningococcus. English authors find Haemophilus influenzae to be as contagious as the meningococcus. Public Health physicians have to know these informations in order to prevent infection in communities; systematic throat culture with antibiograms, regular medical check-up, disinfection, exclusion from school and the choice of prophylactic anti-biotherapy are discussed. Many drugs have been proposed ampicillin, rifampicin, spiramycin, erythromycin, pristinamycin, tetracyclin. None of them managed to get a unanimous approval. The probably temporary solution is to follow the same guidelines than for the meningococcus infections and contaminations. They are described in details in the n degrees 8 Ministerial Memorandum dated January 28, 1980. About chimioprophylaxy, the physicians have to judge any single case as a whole. First ENT infections in those communities have to be totally treated.