[Acute epiglottitis due to Haemophilus influenzae b: A severe consequence of increased skepticism about vaccination]

Acute epiglottis is a life-threatening disease in relation with the occurrence of an acute upper airway obstruction. Its incidence has fallen dramatically since the widespread introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine. We report the case of a 26-month-old child who was not fully immunized and presented acute upper airway respiratory distress with fever. The symptoms quickly evolved to a respiratory arrest condition with bradycardia, revealing epiglottitis due to Hib. Despite high immunization coverage with great efficacy and occurrence of herd immunity, this entity still exists because of the French population's skepticism of the routine vaccination schedule.