A patient with pertussis can be removed from Droplet Precautions after

A patient withpertussis(whooping cough) should remain onDroplet Precautionsto prevent transmission. According toAPIC guidelines, patients with pertussis can be removed from Droplet Precautionsafter completing at least five days of appropriate antimicrobial therapy and showing clinical improvement.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect?

A. Direct fluorescent antibody and/or culture are negative– Laboratory results may not always detect pertussis early, and false negatives can occur.

C. The patient has been given pertussis vaccine– The vaccinepreventsbut does not treat pertussis, and it does not shorten the period of contagiousness.

D. The paroxysmal stage has ended– Theparoxysmal stage(severe coughing fits) can last weeks, butinfectiousness decreaseswith antibiotics.

CBIC Infection Control Reference

According toAPICguidelines, Droplet Precautions should continue until the patient has received at leastfive days of antimicrobial therapy​.