Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)
Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib)
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is estimated to be responsible for 200,000 to 700,000 annual deaths, mostly among very young children, as well as substantial long-term disabilities. Hib is responsible for severe forms of pneumonia and meningitis, as well as other invasive infections. Extremely safe and effective conjugate vaccines have been available for use in infants since the late 1980s. Those vaccines are now part of the regular infant immunization schedules of most industrialized countries as well as many countries with intermediate economies, in particular in Latin America.
With the advent of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), some of the poorest countries have added Hib vaccines to their national schedule since 2001. This remarkable effort has resulted in a documented decrease in the incidence of invasive Hib disease in several countries. However, many questions remain unresolved in order to optimize the benefits that can be expected from Hib-containing vaccines. In some parts of the world, there is still great uncertainty about the actual burden that is attributable to invasive Hib disease. In other parts of the world, although most existing evidence suggest that Hib is a major cause of mortality and morbidity among young children, the perception of the actual magnitude of the problem varies.
WHO has developed an agenda that addresses programmatic, epidemiological and economic assessments of invasive Hib disease prevention, as well as financial planning and regulatory aspects of vaccine procurement. WHO also participates in the GAVI-sponsored Hib Initiative.
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