Diseases and vaccines

Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib)

Hib disease

  • Hib bacteria are a significant cause of childhood meningitis (inflammation of the covering of the brain) and are a major cause of bacterial pneumonia in children. Even though "influenzae" is part of its name, Hib does not cause the "flu."
  • Most serious Hib disease occurs in children between 6 and 12 months of age, and Hib can be more dangerous than most other childhood diseases, especially to children under 5.
  • Hib is a bacterium that normally establishes itself in the nose or upper throat. It is spread through sneezing, coughing, or speaking closely with an infected person. Children often carry Hib bacteria without showing any signs or symptoms, but they can still infect others.
  • Before a vaccine all but eliminated Hib in the United States, 1 in every 200 children was made ill by the disease. Hib virtually disappears from countries where all children are immunized.
  • Each year, an estimated 2 to 3 million cases of Hib disease and more than 300,000 Hib deaths occur worldwide. The killing fields of Hib disease are primarily in developing countries, and Hib's victims are primarily children under five years of age.

Hib vaccines

  • Several Hib conjugate vaccines have been licensed. All have shown excellent protective efficacy in early infancy with virtually no side effects (except occasional, temporary redness or swelling at the injection site). To reduce the number of injections, Hib vaccine is sometimes given in combination with diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTP) vaccine.
  • Hib is one of the safest of all vaccines.
  • Hib vaccines are routinely used in the childhood immunization programs of many countries and territories, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and countries in Western Europe, Asia, and South America. Since a vaccine was introduced, Hib disease has all but disappeared from most of these countries. Currently, the Hib vaccine is used in over 100 countries.
  • Depending on the Hib vaccine selected, children as young as six weeks can be safely immunized. Immunization schedules differ in various places—check with national health authorities for the current recommendation in your country. For the US schedule, visit our Parents and teens page.
  • Hib vaccines have not been used extensively in the developing world. When tested in several developing countries, including Chile, Indonesia, Uruguay, and the Gambia, the vaccine was proven to be as effective as in the United States. However, further disease burden and studies on vaccine effectiveness need to be undertaken, especially in Asia, Africa, and the Newly Independent States of Eastern Europe.
  • The World Health Organization's Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunization makes the following recommendation: "In view of the demonstrated safety and efficacy of the Hib conjugate vaccine, Hib vaccine should be included in routine infant immunization programs."

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