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Defining the burden of pneumonia in children preventable by vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b

O S Levine1, R Lagos, A Muñoz

  • 1Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|December 23, 1999
PubMed

Insights

The Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine significantly reduces pneumonia hospitalizations in young children. This Hib conjugate vaccine prevented 26% of pneumonia cases with likely bacterial infection indicators.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Pneumonia is a major cause of hospitalization in infants and young children.
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a significant bacterial pathogen.
  • The impact of Hib vaccination on pneumonia burden requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the burden of pneumonia preventable by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccination.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of the PRP-T Hib conjugate vaccine in preventing pneumonia hospitalizations.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Santiago, Chile.
  • Infants received either the PRP-T Hib conjugate vaccine combined with DTP or DTP vaccine alone.
  • Pneumonia was defined by hospitalization with indicators of likely bacterial infection.

Main Results:

  • The PRP-T vaccine reduced pneumonia incidence by 22% in children aged 4-23 months.
  • Specifically, it reduced pneumonia with alveolar consolidation or pleural effusion by 22%.
  • Overall protection against pneumonia with likely bacterial infection indicators was 26%, preventing 2.5 cases per 1000 children annually.

Conclusions:

  • Hib vaccination offers substantial protection against nonbacteremic pneumonia, especially cases with signs of bacterial infection.
  • Hib vaccination prevented significantly more nonbacteremic pneumonia cases than meningitis cases in infants.
  • The full impact of Hib vaccination on pneumonia may be underestimated by traditional culture methods.
Abstract

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