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Should You Be Worried About Rising Cases of Hib?Javier Zayas Photography – Getty Images<\/p>\n
A potentially lethal disease is making headlines<\/a> in the U.S. as rates of vaccination fall. Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) can lead to permanent brain damage and death in children\u2014and new government data suggests fewer parents are vaccinating their babies against it.<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a report<\/a> that found the percentage of babies in the U.S. who received the full Hib vaccination series fell from 78.8 percent in 2019 to 77.6 percent in 2021. The complete Hib vaccine series typically requires three to four doses starting when babies are two months old.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the only vaccine-preventable disease with falling vaccination rates, but infectious disease doctors are definitely concerned about Hib. \u201cIt\u2019s a very invasive, potentially lethal infection that causes extraordinarily serious disease, primarily in children,\u201d says Thomas Russo, MD,<\/a> a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York.<\/p>\n Hib isn\u2019t a condition most people are familiar with. Here\u2019s what you need to know about this disease, plus what to look out for.<\/p>\n Meet the experts: Amesh A. Adalja, MD,<\/a> a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and Thomas Russo, MD,<\/a> a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York.<\/p>\n What is Hib?<\/p>\n Hib is a kind of bacteria that lives in the nose and throat, according to the CDC.<\/a> While it\u2019s usually harmless, it can move to other parts of the body and cause infection. \u201cHib is a type of bacteria that causes various types of infections such as ear infections, sinus infections, and meningitis,\u201d says Amesh A. Adalja, MD,<\/a> a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.<\/p>\n Symptoms vary, depending on the part of the body that\u2019s infected. So, if Hib causes pneumonia, you may have a fever, cough, and chest pain, per the CDC<\/a>. Hib that infects the bloodstream may lead to fever, fatigue, stomach pain, and shortness of breath.<\/p>\n How is Hib different from the seasonal flu?<\/p>\n While they both have \u201cinfluenza\u201d in their name, Hib is not the same as the seasonal flu. \u201cIt\u2019s totally different than seasonal influenza\u2014it\u2019s a bacteria, not an influenza virus,\u201d Adalja says.<\/p>\n But both diseases have the potential to be deadly, Russo says. \u201cHib is probably even more lethal,\u201d he adds. (Up to 6 percent of cases of Hib in children are fatal, according to CDC<\/a> data.)<\/p>\n How effective is the vaccine?<\/p>\n The Hib vaccine is a routine childhood vaccine in the U.S. It\u2019s given in a three- or four-dose series (depending on the type of vaccine used), starting when babies are two months old, per the CDC<\/a>. There are five licensed Hib vaccines in the U.S.\u2014three that cover only Hib and two combination vaccines that also cover other diseases, such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio. Hib vaccines are considered more than 95<\/a> percent effective.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce the vaccine became available, the disease virtually disappeared,\u201d Russo says. (Government data show rates dropped by 99<\/a> percent.) \u201cBut with what\u2019s going on with vaccine hesitancy, unfortunately, it\u2019s rearing its ugly head once again,\u201d Russo says.<\/p>\n Are cases of Hib going up?<\/p>\n Russo says that cases of Hib started falling dramatically after the vaccine was introduced. \u201cCases remain very low but are still occurring. The concern is that if vaccination rates continue to fall, then we will see an increasing number of cases.\u201d<\/p>\n Recent news headlines<\/a> also highlight<\/a> cases<\/a> in which two reportedly unvaccinated children died due to complications of Hib in Florida, bringing the disease even more to the forefront.<\/p>\n How is Hib treated?<\/p>\n