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Vaccine Types

Hib

What is it?

Hib bacterium lives in the nose and throat and is spread through coughing or sneezing. Hib is most often spread by people who carry the bacteria but show no symptoms. Hib bacterium can infect a child’s skin, joints, bones and ears. The most common and severe complication of Hib is meningitis, or inflammation of the membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord. Other serious complications include pneumonia, bacteremia and epiglottis (swelling of the throat). 

Why is it important?

Hib disease causes 3 million serious illnesses and nearly 400,000 deaths each year worldwide. Almost all deaths occur in children under five years of age, and babies 4 – 18 months of age are especially vulnerable. Hib meningitis kills one out of 20 children who become infected and causes permanent brain damage in 10 to 30 percent of children who survive the disease.

Progress

The available Hib vaccines are between 90% – 100% effective and have had a dramatic impact on Hib disease. Up until the 1980s, Hib infected 1 out of 200 children under the age of five in the United States, and there were an estimated 20,000 cases of Hib each year.

As soon as the vaccine was introduced in 1985, Hib cases nearly diminished. With regular vaccination, the number of Hib cases in children under five dropped more than 98 percent. By 2003, there were 259 Hib cases in children under 5 in the United States. Most of the cases we see today result from parents choosing not to immunize. In 2009, Hib outbreaks in Minnesota and Pennsylvania resulted in three child deaths; none of the infected children were immunized. It’s important to remember that although we don’t consider Hib a common childhood illness, the disease can cause serious harm.

Vaccine Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend children receive the Hib vaccine at two months, four months, six months (depending on which vaccine your child receives, he or she may not need this dose) and at 12 – 15 months. Since Hib typically affects children under five years of age, only high-risk older children and adults should receive the Hib vaccine.

Side Effects

Most children who get the Hib vaccine do not experience problems. Mild side effects may include:

• Redness, warmth, or swelling where the shot was given (up to 1 out of 4 children)
• Fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit (up to 1 out of 20 children)

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