Hib Outbreak Kills Unvaccinated Child
Hib Outbreak Kills Unvaccinated Child
Vaccine Refusers, Vaccine Shortage Combine in Hib Resurgence
Jan. 23, 2009 - A Hib meningitis outbreak has killed one Minnesota infant and sickened four others, prompting the CDC to warn parents to make sure their kids have had their basic Hib vaccinations.
Hib is Haemophilus influenzae type B. Before a vaccine became available in 1992, some 20,000 U.S. children under age 5 got severe Hib infections every year, resulting in about 1,000 deaths.
Minnesota hadn't had a Hib death since 1991. Now the state is facing it's biggest outbreak since 1992 -- and it may not be just that one state, warns Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
"The situation in Minnesota might be isolated, or it might be the beginning of a trend in other places," Schuchat said at a news conference. "We are working hard to determine which of these stories is the right one."
One of the five Minnesota Hib meningitis cases was in a 5-month-old child too young to have finished its first series of Hib shots. Another case was in a child who got all the shots but who turned out to have an immune deficiency.
The other three cases -- including the death -- were in infants whose parents refused to vaccinate them. Parents of two children objected to vaccines; the parents of the third child were waiting to vaccinate until the child was 5 years old.
"We had a death from a child who was unvaccinated. We want to encourage parents who have delayed or refused vaccination to reconsider," Kristen Ehresmann, RN, MPH, of the Minnesota Department of Health, said at the news conference. "Hib vaccine not only protects your child, but also protects babies who have not completed their primary series or those who have immune compromise."
The CDC is warning all parents of young children to make sure their kids have finished their primary Hib vaccination. Parents who aren't sure are urged to check with their doctors as soon as possible.
"Parents who wondered whether Hib vaccination is really necessary need to know the disease is still around," Schuchat said. "It is a very dangerous disease and we have a vaccine that can protect children. The situation where community protection kept unimmunized kids at low risk of disease does not appear to be holding."
Hib Outbreak Kills Unvaccinated Child
Vaccine Refusers, Vaccine Shortage Combine in Hib Resurgence
Jan. 23, 2009 - A Hib meningitis outbreak has killed one Minnesota infant and sickened four others, prompting the CDC to warn parents to make sure their kids have had their basic Hib vaccinations.
Hib is Haemophilus influenzae type B. Before a vaccine became available in 1992, some 20,000 U.S. children under age 5 got severe Hib infections every year, resulting in about 1,000 deaths.
Minnesota hadn't had a Hib death since 1991. Now the state is facing it's biggest outbreak since 1992 -- and it may not be just that one state, warns Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
"The situation in Minnesota might be isolated, or it might be the beginning of a trend in other places," Schuchat said at a news conference. "We are working hard to determine which of these stories is the right one."
One of the five Minnesota Hib meningitis cases was in a 5-month-old child too young to have finished its first series of Hib shots. Another case was in a child who got all the shots but who turned out to have an immune deficiency.
The other three cases -- including the death -- were in infants whose parents refused to vaccinate them. Parents of two children objected to vaccines; the parents of the third child were waiting to vaccinate until the child was 5 years old.
"We had a death from a child who was unvaccinated. We want to encourage parents who have delayed or refused vaccination to reconsider," Kristen Ehresmann, RN, MPH, of the Minnesota Department of Health, said at the news conference. "Hib vaccine not only protects your child, but also protects babies who have not completed their primary series or those who have immune compromise."
The CDC is warning all parents of young children to make sure their kids have finished their primary Hib vaccination. Parents who aren't sure are urged to check with their doctors as soon as possible.
"Parents who wondered whether Hib vaccination is really necessary need to know the disease is still around," Schuchat said. "It is a very dangerous disease and we have a vaccine that can protect children. The situation where community protection kept unimmunized kids at low risk of disease does not appear to be holding."
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