Haemophilus b Vaccine
Class: Vaccines
ATC Class: J07AG51
VA Class: IM100
Brands: ActHIB, Hiberix, PedvaxHIB, Pentacel (combination)
Introduction
Inactivated (polysaccharide) vaccine. Commercially available in US as 2 different vaccine types: Haemophilus b (Hib) conjugate vaccine (meningococcal protein conjugate) (PRP-OMP; PedvaxHIB) and Hib conjugate vaccine (tetanus toxoid conjugate) (PRP-T; ActHIB, Hiberix). PRP-T also commercially available in a combination vaccine containing diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliovirus, and Hib antigens (DTaP-IPV/Hib; Pentacel).
Uses for Haemophilus b Vaccine
Prevention of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Infection
Prevention of Hib infection in infants and children 2 through 59 months of age. Also recommended in certain individuals ≥5 years of age† at increased risk for invasive Hib disease because of certain medical conditions.
Hib is a gram-negative bacterium that causes meningitis and other serious infections (e.g., pneumonia, epiglottitis, sepsis, cellulitis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, purulent pericarditis), principally in infants and children <5 years of age. Prior to availability of Hib vaccine, Hib was the most common cause of bacterial meningitis and other invasive bacterial disease in young children worldwide; case fatality rate was 3–6% despite appropriate anti-infective treatment and 15–30% of meningitis survivors had hearing loss or neurologic sequelae.
Incidence of invasive Hib in the US decreased 99% after Hib conjugate vaccines became available. Most cases now occur in unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated infants and children, including infants <6 months of age who are too young to have received a complete vaccination series. During 2012, there were 30 cases of invasive Hib disease reported in US children <5 years of age. Nonencapsulated (nontypeable) H. influenzae now the leading cause of invasive H. influenzae disease in all age groups.
USPHS Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), AAP, and others recommend routine vaccination against Hib in all infants using an appropriate vaccine regimen initiated in early infancy at 2 months of age (minimum age 6 weeks).
Catch-up vaccination recommended by ACIP, AAP, and others for all children <5 years of age who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated against Hib. Unvaccinated children <5 years of age are at increased risk of invasive Hib disease, especially if in prolonged close contact (e.g., household contact) with a child with invasive Hib disease.
Individuals at increased risk of invasive Hib infection because of certain medical conditions include those with functional or anatomic asplenia, sickle cell disease, immunoglobulin deficiency (including IgG2 deficiency), early component complement deficiency, or HIV infection and those who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or are receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy for malignant neoplasms. Historically, invasive Hib was more common in American Indians (e.g., Apache and Navajo tribes), Alaskan natives, Hispanics, blacks; boys; daycare attendees; children living in crowded conditions; and children who were not breastfed.
PRP-OMP (PedvaxHIB) and PRP-T (ActHIB) are labeled by FDA for use in children through 5 years of a...
