As we have been doing for a few weeks, in a series of entries in which we explain everything related to childhood vaccines, today we are going to talk about another vaccine, the vaccine Haemophilus influenzae type B, which in childhood is combined with other vaccines such as tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough ... in pentavalent and hexavalent presentations, or loose, alone, for when you only want to administer this vaccine (a child who comes from another country when he is older and there is no possibility of administering childhood vaccines).
The vaccine of Haemophilus influenzae type b is administered, in childhood, within the hexavalent vaccine, administered at 2, 4 and 6 months, which protects against six diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, polio, pertussis or pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B and hepatitis B. At 18 months, pentavalent is administered, which takes another dose.
It is a vaccine that is administered four times and that does not need any memories, so once administered at those ages (2, 4, 6 and 18 months) there is no need to reapply it. The vaccine is given, as late, at 7 years. After that age, he is no longer considered at risk and does not need the vaccine.
What is he Haemophilus influenzae type B
It is a bacterium that produces potentially serious infections, especially in children under 5 years. It can affect the lung, ear, larynx, producing pneumonia, otitis and epiglottitis, and can also produce meningitis.
The Hib can be in the throat and / or nose, without causing disease, being the carrier, but it can also end up penetrating the body, ultimately causing a serious infection. It is a bacterium that is spread from person to person.
Mass vaccination of children has helped decrease the frequency of infections and also the number of carriers. For this reason, It is important that children are vaccinated, because thanks to this the disease is controlled.
How to prevent the disease
Being a contagious disease the only way to control and avoid it is by vaccination of as many children as possible. The greater the vaccination, the lower the probability that the disease will be contracted and that an outbreak will be generated.
Does Hib have treatment?
It is a bacterium and can be treated with antibiotics, it is also necessary to medicate people who have been in contact with the child: family members, nursery or school mates, etc. This prevents people from becoming carriers who can then suffer from the disease or spread it.
Where do you get the vaccine?
Babies, that is, when placed at 2, 4 and 6 months, are given intramuscularly (inside the muscle) in the leg. In the quadriceps, to be more exact. Formerly it was administered in the buttock, but it has been seen that the absorption is worse, with muscles such as deltoids (in the shoulder, but not recommended in babies) and the quadriceps being of choice.
When they are put at 18 months it is usually done in the arm, in the deltoid muscle of the shoulder.
Side effects of Haemophilus Influenza type b vaccine
The vaccine of Haemophilus Influenza type bWhen it is linked to other vaccines, it can produce side effects derived from Hib, but also from the vaccines that accompany it. The dose of Hib administered alone has few serious side effects, although pain, redness and swelling of the injection site and low fever may occur.
The tetanus portion of the vaccine can cause pain and swelling of the injection site, and sometimes a rash that usually disappears within 24 hours. Diphtheria can have the same side effects as tetanus and when accompanied by pertussis can cause fever and irritability. In general, any vaccine can be accompanied by fever.
The occurrence of brain inflammation after the vaccine (I speak of the combined vaccine) but the incidence is very low (1 in 110,000 cases) and it is not known whether it is a reaction to the vaccine or if it is caused by other substances or infections.
Is it related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?
As we explained in the previous entries, it is said that the diphtheria, polio and tetanus vaccine, combined with the other vaccines, in this case with the Hib, could be related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) . But nevertheless, there is no scientific evidence that shows that there is a relationship between one thing and another.
The myth is still alive because the first dose is given at two months, when the risk of SIDS is very high.
Photos | Tom & Katrien, Cory Doctorow on Flickr More information | Medline Plus, VaccinesAEP In Babies and more | 180,000 children die each year from neonatal tetanus, "Vaccines are very effective in preventing disease." Interview with Carlos González (I) and (II), Ten things we should know about vaccines
