Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)

Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a bacterium that can infect the outer lining of the brain causing meningitis. Hib is transmitted from person to person through mucus droplets that are spread by coughing or sneezing. Invasive Hib disease occurs most often at three months to three years of age, peaking at six to seven months of age. The disease is uncommon after age five years.

Hib can cause a wide variety of serious infections, including pneumonia, severe throat swelling that makes breathing difficult (epiglottitis), and infections of blood, bones, joints, and the covering of the heart. Complications of Hib meningitis include blindness, deafness, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and death. About 5% of children (500 out of every 10,000) with Hib meningitis die despite antibiotic treatment.

Who should receive the vaccine?

Due to the high risk of disease in children, all children younger than five years should receive the Hib vaccine, beginning at two months of age.

Unimmunized children are at increased risk of developing Hib when they are:

Daycare attendees, Household contacts of someone with Hib, Those with a low socioeconomic status, African-American, Native American, Immuno compromised because of sickle-cell disease, leukemia, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, or the absence of the spleen

Known Side Effects

Approximately 25% of children who receive the Hib vaccine experience mild side effects such as pain, redness, or swelling at the site of the shot, while more serious reactions are infrequent.

Studies have shown that children who receive the Hib vaccine in combination with or at the same time as the DTaP vaccine are no more likely to experience side effects than children who receive only the DTaP vaccine.

The VSD conducted an observational study of the combination Hib vaccine, DTaP-IPV-Hib (Pentacel), for the period September 2008–January 2011. Compared with children who received DTaP-containing control vaccine (i.e., without Hib), children aged 1–2 years who received DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccine had an elevated risk for fever.

These are really very dangerous diseases as you can see their side effects. Now every nation is taking prevention and vaccination of these diseases. We as a human needs to take care of our children. Its our responsibility to spread the words against these serious diseases.