The Hib vaccination is a standard vaccination (regular vaccination) administered by means of an inactivated vaccine.The bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b causes diseases such as meningitis (meningitis), pneumonias (pneumonia), or epiglottitis (epiglottitis), especially in infants and children under six years of age.
Infection is transmitted by droplet infection or direct contact with secretions or contaminated objects.
The following are the recommendations of the Standing Commission on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute on Hib vaccination:
Indications (areas of use)
- I: individuals with anatomic or functional asplenia (inability or absence of spleen to function).
Legend
- I: Indication vaccinations for risk groups with individual (not occupational) increased risk of exposure, disease or complications and for the protection of third parties.
Contraindications
- Persons with acute diseases requiring treatment.
Implementation
- Basic immunization:For basic immunization of mature infants, three doses of vaccine are recommended in infancy at 2, 4, and 11 months of age.For preterm infants (born before the completed 37th week of gestation), 4 doses of vaccine are recommended at chronological ages of 2, 3,4, and 11 months.
- Today there is a possibility of carrying out combination vaccinations, so that children are effectively protected against infectious diseases with relatively few vaccinations. The six-vaccination schedule protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B. The current reduced “2+1 schedule” for the six-vaccination schedule is as follows: At 8 weeks of age, the vaccination series is started and subsequent vaccinations are given at the recommended times at 4 and 11 months of age. Between the 2nd and 3rd vaccination doses, a minimum interval of 6 months must be observed.
- Repeat vaccination: age 15-23 months and 2-4 years.
- After the fifth year of life, Hib vaccination is no longer useful, since infections with Haemophilus influenzae are then rare (exceptions: individuals with anatomical or functional asplenia).
Efficacy
- Reliable efficacy
Possible side effects/vaccine reactions
- Local reactions around the injection site
- Fever (rare)
- Headache (rare)
