💊 Disease-preventing 💊 A preventive drug

chemoprophylactic

9.3

Used to prevent infection by giving a chemical drug before exposure

adjective
/ˌkiːmoʊprəˈfɪlaktɪk/

Specialized

: quimioprofiláctico

Nivaquine is a syrup preparation of the malaria chemoprophylactic drug chloroquine, but it ceased to be available at the end of March 2015.

Examples

The doctor prescribed a chemoprophylactic treatment to protect travelers from malaria during their trip.
For patients at high risk of infection, chemoprophylactic medications can significantly reduce disease transmission.
Before the surgery, the patient was given a chemoprophylactic antibiotic to prevent any potential infections.

Synonyms

prophylactic

vschemoprophylactic

Specialized

4 7.5

Used to prevent infection or disease

refers specifically to a chemical drug or treatment used to prevent infection

Surface Forms

chemoprophylactic positive

Morphology

chemoprophylactic = prophylactic (transparent) = chemo + prophylactic

Clear morphological formation: 'chemo-' (chemical) + 'prophylactic' (preventive), so the adjective means preventive by chemical means.

Etymology

The word chemoprophylactic comes from chemo- meaning 'chemical', as in chemistry, and from pro- 'before' plus phylax 'guard', so it literally means a 'chemical guard' that stands before an infection. That's why chemoprophylactic describes a treatment used to prevent disease.