Medical uses
Hib conjugate vaccines have been shown to be universally effective against all manifestations of Hib disease, with a clinical efficacy among fully vaccinated children estimated to be between 95–100%. The vaccine has also been shown to be immunogenic in patients at high risk of invasive disease. Hib vaccine is not effective against non-type B Haemophilus influenzae. However, non-type B disease is rare in comparison to pre-vaccine rates of Haemophilus influenzae type B disease. Impact
Prior to introduction of the conjugate vaccine, Hib was a leading cause of childhood meningitis, pneumonia, and epiglottitis in the United States, causing an estimated 20,000 cases a year in the early 1980s, mostly in children under five years old. Since routine vaccination began, the incidence of Hib disease has declined by greater than 99%, effectively eliminating Hib as a public health problem. Similar reductions in disease occurred after introduction of the vaccine in Western Europe and developing countries.After routine use of the vaccine in the United States from 1980 to 1990, the rate of invasive Hib disease decreased from 40–100 per 100,000 children down to fewer than 1 per 100,000. Recommendations
The CDC and the WHO recommend that all infants be vaccinated using a polysaccharide-protein conjugate Hib vaccine, starting after the age of six weeks. The vaccination is also indicated in people without a spleen. Side effects
Clinical trials and ongoing surveillance have shown Hib vaccine to be safe. In general, adverse reactions to the vaccine are mild.
There is not yet sufficient evidence on how effective this combined pentavalent vaccine is in relation to the individual vaccines. References
Further reading
Ramsay M, ed. (2013). "Chapter 16: Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)". Immunisation against infectious disease. Public Health England. External sources
"Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) Vaccine Information Statement". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 10 August 2021. "Haemophilus B Conjugate Vaccine (Meningococcal Protein Conjugate)". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 24 April 2019. "Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate)". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 24 April 2019. "Hiberix". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 3 October 2019.