Haemophilus influenzae (HIB) vaccine

Haemophilus influenzae or better known as HIB is a respiratory pathogen of humans causing infections ranging from asymptomatic colonization of the upper respiratory tract to serious invasive disease. In Malaysia, most cases of HIB meningitis occur in children under 12 months.

It is a kind of bacteria that can be transmitted through the air and droplets. Haemophilus influenzae type B can cause serious children’s health issues and can cause many diseases such as pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, phlebitis, and pericarditis, which can lead to death.

HIB vaccine is an effective measure to control invasive diseases of HIB. It can produce a good immune response after vaccination, and can induce the body to produce effective protective bactericidal antibodies, which can effectively resist Haemophilus influenzae type B infection.

Is it necessary to administer HIB vaccine

Ministry of Health (MOH) previously used the pentavalent combination vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type B (DTaP-IPV/Hib) since 2008 in eight states, expanding it nationwide in 2010. The combination vaccine was given in three prime doses at age two months, three months, and five months, with one booster dose at 18 months.

HIB vaccine in Children

Adverse reactions

Some children will have some minor adverse reactions after vaccination. Common adverse reaction symptoms are mainly reflected in the following aspects.

The common clinical side effects of the HIB vaccine are mainly the symptoms of redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, and itching in the injection site within 12-24 hours after the infants and young children are vaccinated with the HIB vaccine, but they usually disappear soon.
After 6 hours of vaccination, the common side effect is that there is erythema in the injection part, and there is a burning sensation, but it will gradually disappear or the symptoms will weaken within 24-48 hours, and it will not affect the health.
The side effects that very few people will have are systemic reaction symptoms such as muscle pain, joint pain, headache, discomfort and fever. If this situation is serious, you need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment. If the symptoms are mild, you can slowly improve yourself. In addition, a few people who are allergic to egg protein will also experience allergic reactions after being injected with the HIB vaccine.

Who else can get the HIB Vaccine?

Premature babies : Although most premature babies may show an inadequate antibody response to the vaccine. However, many preterm babies benefit from the vaccination as term babies.
Thalassemia and Splenectomy : The doctor will give pneumococcal and HIB vaccinations 4-6 weeks prior to splenectomy.

References

Paediatric Protocols for Malaysian Hospitals, 4th Edition, 2019 [Updated]
Malaysia updates Child IMMUNISATION schedule With hexavalent Vaccine. (2020, November 18). Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2020/11/17/malaysia-updates-child-immunisation-schedule-with-hexavalent-vaccine/
Chronicle, D., & Editor, T. (2015, June 17). Vaccination in Malaysia. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from http://infomed.com.my/vaccination-in-malaysia