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Vaccine Cut Bacterial Strain Linked to Meningitis, Study Shows

Vaccination for children against Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, which was once the most common cause of bacterial meningitis, has greatly reduced the incidence of the disease in children over the last 20 years, a new study shows.

However, researchers point out that other strains of the bacteria continue to cause substantial disease among the nation’s youngest and oldest age groups.

“The Hib vaccine was successful in reducing disease among children 5 years and younger, and now the epidemiology has changed,” said lead author Jessica MacNeil, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MacNeil and colleagues analyzed data for the invasive disease over the past 20 years after the Hib vaccine was introduced in the mid-1980s. Non-type b strains of bacteria is now the cause of most H. influenzae disease cases in the United States.

The study authors warn that the highest rates of disease from non-b type strains are in the oldest and youngest age groups, those 65 and older and infants less than a year old.

Among children under 5, young infants are the most likely to be diagnosed with the disease. A majority of these cases occur in the first month of life, with the most vulnerable being premature and low-birthweight babies.

The number of adults 65 and older who become ill due to H. influenzae is also high compared to the rest of the population, researchers say. Among those of this group who become sick, almost a fourth of the cases are fatal. Risk factors are more difficult to interpret, the authors say, due to underlying medical conditions.

Alaska Native and American Indian children continue to have a large burden of both Hib and non-b type disease compared to others, the study found, but the reasons for this are not known.

Future studies should focus on why these groups are at a higher risk than others, researchers say. Taking into consideration the risk factors for H. influenzae disease, including household crowding, poor air quality and poverty, could help prevent transmission in this population group.

Nothing the burden of this disease in older adults, the study’s authors say another opportunity for research would be the development of an H. influenzae vacccine for adults.

For more on childhood medical issues, see the library of articles by Daytona Beach child injury attorney.

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