We thank Wuerz and Seftel for their comment.1 Our review2 did not address patients with functional asplenia, as it was designed specifically as a counselling scenario around the case of a patient contemplating elective splenectomy.
In our experience, the period before surgical splenectomy is often a missed opportunity for patient education and health promotion. We agree, however, that the management principles for surgically asplenic patients apply equally to patients with functional asplenia.3 Early recognition of these patients, as outlined by Wuerz and Seftel,1 is crucial to ensure that patients receive appropriate counselling, education about high-risk circumstances, immunizations and appropriate empiric antimicrobial therapy if they present with febrile illness, including overwhelming postsplenectomy infection.