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FDA Approves Glaxo's Hiberix Vaccine |
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| Philadelphia Inquirer |
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| August 21, 2009 |
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| "GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. has won
swift approval from the federal government to produce and sell a booster
vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae type b, which should help eliminate
shortages of the shot against the deadly disease. The London drugmaker,
which has large operations in the Philadelphia region, said late Wednesday
that its Hiberix vaccine was approved as a booster dose for children 15
months to 4 years old. The vaccine targets the bacterial infection known as
Hib, which can cause meningitis, pneumonia, and other deadly illnesses..." |
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CDC to Reinstate Booster Shots of Hib Vaccine |
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| Reuters |
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| June 26, 2009 |
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| “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday it plans to reinstate booster shots of a vaccine that protects children against bacterial meningitis. The CDC said in a statement it now believes manufacturers will have enough supply of the vaccine to resume giving a booster shot of HiB (Haemophilus influenza type b) to children aged 12 to 15 months. Booster shots will resume on July 1. Scarce supplies of the vaccine starting in 2007 prompted U.S. health authorities to recommend dropping the booster shot, which is typically given to children at 12 to 15 months who were not at high risk of infection..." |
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Rare Hib Disease Increases in Minnesota |
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| City Pages |
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| June 3, 2009 |
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| "As the ultrasound tech spread the
cool gel over her swollen belly, Brendalee Flint held her breath. Would
it be another boy? Or would she finally get the daughter she'd always
wanted? She'd be happy either way, she reminded herself for the
umpteenth time.Flint peered at the strange white shape on the black
monitor. Even after three kids, the image still amazed her—watching the
heartbeat was so cool. The ultrasound tech pointed out the lungs, the
tiny hands, the little brain. The tech waited patiently. There! Now she
could see. It was a girl..." |
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Hib Disease Deaths Put Focus on Vaccine Shortage |
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Philadelphia Inquirer |
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April 1, 2009 |
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"At least six unvaccinated children in Southeastern Pennsylvania have
been infected and two have died in the nation's biggest recent outbreak
of Haemophilus influenzae type b, a once-devastating disease that was
virtually eradicated 20 years ago. One Hib death has been reported in
New Jersey..." |
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Pennsylvania Hib Outbreak |
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| About Pediatrics |
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| March 20, 2009 |
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| "According to the American Academy of
Pediatrics, there have been five cases of invasive Haemophilus
influenzae type b (Hib) infections in Pennsylvania since October 2008,
resulting in two deaths. This follows the small Hib outbreak in
Minnesota last year, which also resulted in a death. Although now a
vaccine preventable infection, before the routine use of the Hib vaccine
began in 1988, about 20,000 children had Hib infections each year,
including 12,000 cases of bacterial meningitis. And about 5% of the
children with Hib meningitis died. According the AAP, all of the
Pennsylvania cases involved children who were 'unvaccinated or
under-vaccinated'..." |
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Child Recovering from Meningitis |
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| Bangor Daily News |
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| March 10, 2009 |
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| "A 3-year-old from the midcoast area
of Maine is recovering from a serious case of meningitis and blood
infection caused by the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type B, or Hib.
According to a health alert issued Monday by the Maine Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, the child had not undergone the full
four-injection series of Hib vaccines recommended by the federal CDC and
became ill in late February..." |
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CDC Urging Docs to Complete Hib Primary Series |
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| AAFP News |
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| February 25, 2009 |
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| "With the nation's shortage of
Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, vaccine now stretching into its
15th month, the CDC is directly contacting thousands of health care
providers with a reminder that all children should complete the primary
Hib immunization series. The CDC is including this message in a letter
dated Feb. 10..." |
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Hib Infection in Children Makes a Deadly Return |
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| USA Today |
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| February 15, 2009 |
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| "When a very sick toddler was brought
into a Minneapolis-area hospital last winter, doctors immediately
suspected meningitis. The baby, 15 months old, was lethargic, had a
fever of 104 degrees and was increasingly unresponsive. Within days,
test results were in. William Pomputius, an infectious-disease
specialist at Children's of Minnesota, was shocked to learn that the
girl had Haemophilis influenzae type B, or Hib infection, a disease that
has been nearly wiped out by routine vaccination..." |
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Japan’s Decade-Old Vaccine Scandal Leaves Infants at Risk Today |
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| Bloomberg |
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| February 12, 2009 |
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| "Four-year-old Kenta Morioka died
last year from suffocation caused by a bacterial infection. The vaccine
that could have saved his life, in use for 16 years and offered in 120
countries, wasn’t available in Japan. The world’s second-largest economy
only began vaccinating infants in December against haemophilus
influenzae type b, or Hib, one of the most common causes of
meningitis..." |
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Invasive Hib Disease Cases in Minnesota Linked to Vaccine Shortage
Parents' Refusal to Vaccinate Also a Possible Factor |
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| January 28, 2009 |
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| "A nationwide shortage of Haemophilus
influenzae type b, or Hib, vaccine and the refusal by some parents to
vaccinate their children may have sparked a re-emergence of invasive Hib
disease in Minnesota. In the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
released Jan. 23, CDC officials said that five cases of invasive Hib
disease in children younger than age 5 years were reported last year to
the Minnesota Department of Health. Three of the five children were
completely unvaccinated against the disease. One child died..." |
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Hib Illness Rise Could Be Linked to Vaccine Shortages |
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| Wall Street Journal |
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| January 26, 2009 |
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| "Sanofi Aventis currently is the only
supplier of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, as bacteria
contaminated equipment forced Merck & Co. to cease production in late
2007. Due to the short supply, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) requests that healthcare providers administer the first
few doses to babies, but put off the final booster shot typically
provided between the ages of 12 months and 15 months..." |
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Rare Sickness Kills Child; Officials Urge Vaccination |
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| CNN.com |
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| January 23, 2009 |
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| "A childhood illness that has mostly
been curbed through vaccinations has killed one child and sickened four
others in Minnesota, health officials said Friday. Authorities recommend
that those younger than 2 years be vaccinated against 14 diseases,
including Hib. The five children were infected with a bacterial
infection known as Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type b. Three of the
affected children had not received any vaccinations, including the
7-month-old who died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention..." |
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Letter: Son Bears Consequences from Lack of Vaccine |
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| Indianapolis Star Tribune |
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| December 2, 2008 |
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| "While the vaccine/autism link
is being debated, I am in the unique position to view vaccines
differently. Twenty-one years ago, the Hib vaccine was not given until
18 months of age. My younger son was 9 months when he become ill with
bacterial meningitis. He had been inseparable from his 4-year-old
brother, who was vaccinated and fine. My son is profoundly deaf as the
result of the meningitis. He graduated as salutatorian of his class at
the Indiana School for the Deaf and has a good job. Do I wish he had had
the vaccine? Of course. I encourage all parents to get their children
vaccinated. Many graduates of both the Deaf and the Blind Schools are
the result of the measles epidemics. It is a huge risk to
take.--Stephanie Ruddy, Indianapolis" |
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Doctors to Be on Guard for Meningitis in Kids |
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| Reuters |
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| November 20, 2008 |
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| "U.S. health officials asked doctors
on Thursday to be alert for possible cases of meningitis and other
illnesses in children caused by Hib bacteria amid an ongoing vaccine
shortage. Officials are most concerned about bacterial meningitis and
sepsis, a bloodstream infection, caused by Hib (Haemophilus influenzae
type b) in children under age 5 because of the high risk of death or
serious complications, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
epidemiologist Mike Jackson said. Meningitis is the inflammation of the
tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and can be caused by viral
or bacterial infections. Before the vaccines, Hib was the most common
cause of bacterial meningitis..." |
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| Pakistan Introduces Vaccine To Prevent Top Child Killer |
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| Science Daily |
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| November 1, 2008 |
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| "This month, Pakistan is introducing a new combination vaccine that will protect its children against the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and four other common childhood diseases. Hib, a bacterium that can cause deadly meningitis and pneumonia, is one of the top killers of young children in the developing world..." |
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| Vaccination Programmes Avert 3.4 Million Deaths: GAVI Alliance |
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| AFP (Global) |
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| October 28, 2008 |
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| "Immunisation programmes against meningitis and hepatitis in the world's poorest countries will have averted 3.4 million deaths by the end of the year, the public-private GAVI alliance said Wednesday. The alliance, set up by IT magnate Bill Gates and funded by donor governments, international institutions and private philanthropists, also said that 213 million children will have been reached with GAVI-supported vaccines in the period 2000-2008..." |
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