Sadly, I recall as a Pediatric resident admitting to the hospital at least one infant with H. influenzae type b meningitis almost every night when on call.

1. NOTING THE EXTRAORDINARY
SUCCESS OF HIB VACCINATION
BY DR. ALLEN CHERER

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF
VACCINES
Vaccination serves as one of the best ways
to protect infants, children, and
adolescents from sixteen potentially
harmful, and even deadly, diseases.
Although it is common to think of the
vaccines against measles, pertussis, and
polio, an astonishingly important vaccine
since the end of the 20th century has
targeted the bacteria, Haemophilus
influenzae type b (Hib).

3. WHAT IS HIB?
Haemophilus influenzae is a small,
pleomorphic, gram negative coccobacillus.
H. influenzae type b most commonly
causes pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis,
epiglottitis, and cellulitis.
Non-type b encapsulated forms present in
a similar manner to type b infections,
while non typable strains more commonly
cause infections of the respiratory tract,
such as pneumonia, otitis media, sinusitis,
and conjunctivitis.

4. EFFECTS OF HIB
Before effective Hib conjugate vaccines for
infants older than 2 months were available
in 1990, Haemophilus influenzae type b
was the leading cause of invasive bacterial
disease among children in the United
States.
One in 200 children developed invasive
Hib disease by 5 years of age;
approximately 60% of these children had
meningitis and 3-6% died from the
disease.

5. DEVELOPMENTS IN HIB
PREVENTION
Since the introduction of Hib conjugate
vaccines in the United States, the
incidence of invasive Hib disease has
decreased a stunning 99% to fewer than 1
case/100,000 children younger than 5
years of age, and in 2012, only 30 cases of
invasive type b disease were reported in
children under 5 years old.
The risk for invasive Hib disease persists
among unimmunized children, highlighting
the importance of full vaccination with the
2 or 3 injection series and a single booster
dose.

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