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Act of hib vaccination against what. Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae

Since 2011 in the Russian national calendar preventive vaccinations Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae is included. But until now it is not carried out for everyone. And according to medical indications and at the request of the parents. All this raises many questions for moms and dads.

Let's try to answer the most frequently asked questions on this topic.

What is hemophilus influenzae infection?

Haemophilus influenzae infection is an acute infectious disease, the cause of which is Haemophilus influenzae. There are 6 known types of pathogens of hemophilus influenzae infection, which are designated by the letters: a, b, c, d, e, f. Haemophilus influenzae type b is considered the most dangerous.

But hemophilus influenzae does not cause the disease in everyone. From the research results it follows that about 90% of the adult population and about 40% of children in kindergartens are carriers of Haemophilus influenzae. Of these, 5% have Hemophilus influenzae type b.

Most often, children from 6 months to 5 years old suffer from hemophilus influenzae infection. Most often children are from 1 to 2 years old. The younger the child, the more severe the disease. And the more likely death is. Children over 5 years of age and adults suffer from this infection much less frequently. Because they have a fairly well-developed immune system.

The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. But in young children it is possible contact-household path transmission (through toys, towels, dishes). The greater the microbial mass (concentration of the pathogen on the nasopharyngeal mucosa), the higher the likelihood that the disease will develop rather than chronic carrier state forming.

Hemophilus influenzae infection in children under 5 years of age can manifest itself in the form of acute respiratory infections (runny nose, cough, fever), purulent meningitis(up to 50% of all purulent meningitis in children of this age group). It causes pneumonia somewhat less frequently (15-20% of all cases of pneumonia in children of this age). And also - purulent sinusitis, otitis, arthritis, sepsis, inflammation of the epiglottis, inflammation subcutaneous tissue and other diseases.

Purulent meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b is severe. And in 10-15% of cases it ends in death.

Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia is the second most common among all bacterial pneumonia in children, it is difficult and atypical. May be complicated purulent pleurisy and take a protracted course.

Hemophilus influenzae sepsis occurs rapidly, lightning fast, and often ends in death.

Treatment of hemophilus influenzae infection is carried out with antibiotics: amoxicillin, amoxiclav, cephalosporins, sumamed.

Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae

Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae is currently considered reliable and safe means disease prevention.

Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae: carried out with vaccines that do not contain the causative agent of the disease. But, it contains only its antigens - surface polysaccharides of the cell wall. In response to the introduction of these antigens, immunity is formed in the body.

Therefore, the vaccine cannot cause the disease.

HIBERIX Act-HIB and other vaccines

In Russia, vaccination is carried out using the following vaccines: Act-Hib (France), Hiberix (England). The vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae is also included in the preparations (France) and Infanrix hexa (England).

Considering that vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae are not whole cell vaccines, they are safe. And they very rarely cause adverse reactions.

But they are still described

Increase in body temperature to 39C.
Local swelling and redness.
General allergic reactions ( anaphylactic shock, urticaria, Quincke's edema).

At what age should a child be vaccinated?

Children from 3 months to 5 years are subject to vaccination against hemophilus influenzae infection. And children over 5 years old do not need vaccination, because... have strong enough immunity to resist hemophilus influenzae infection.

What does the vaccine protect against?

1. Question: If you get vaccinated against Haemophilus influenzae, will your child not get sick with acute respiratory infections, meningitis, pneumonia, etc.? - Some parents think so.

Answer: The purpose of vaccination against hemophilus influenzae is to protect children under 5 years of age from the most severe forms of the disease: sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis) and to reduce the incidence of bacterial otitis, bronchitis, acute respiratory infections, the causative agent of which is Haemophilus influenzae type b. Please note that all vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae contain only antigens Haemophilus influenzae type b. Therefore, they protect not from all meningitis, pneumonia and acute respiratory infections in general, as wrong parents believe, but only from diseases caused this type pathogen. If a child has been vaccinated against hemophilus influenzae, he will not get hemophilus influenzae meningitis. But he still has a chance of getting meningococcal or. The same applies to pneumonia, sepsis and other diseases.

2. Question: does the vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae replace the vaccination against tetanus, because the vaccine contains tetanus toxoid? - another erroneous opinion.

Answer: No, it does not replace, this vaccine contains tetanus toxoid in small quantities, insufficient to form stable immunity against tetanus.

Which is better Act-HIB or HIBerix

There is no fundamental difference between the vaccines used in Russia to prevent hemophilus influenzae infection.

The differences in composition between the vaccines are minimal. They all contain

Cell wall polysaccharides of Haemophilus influenzae type b.
Tetanus toxoid adsorbed on aluminum hydroxide.
As a stabilizer, the Act-HIB vaccine contains sucrose, and HIBerix contains lactose.
Act-HIB also contains Trometamol to regulate the ionic composition.

Where is the vaccine administered?

In children under 2 years of age - in the anterior outer surface of the thigh.
In children over 2 years old, into the deltoid muscle of the shoulder.

Why are there different vaccination schedules against Haemophilus influenzae for different age groups?

Because than younger child, the less perfect his immune system is. And the larger doses of antigen are required to form a stable immune response. In addition, in children in the first six months of life, maternal antibodies are present in the blood, which bind the antigen and quickly remove it from the body. So fast that infant does not have time to develop strong immunity.

Vaccination schedules

If a child is vaccinated in the first six months of life, vaccination is carried out three times with an interval of 1-2 months. And at 18 months, revaccination is carried out. Typically, in such children, vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae is combined with vaccinations against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio.
And if vaccination is carried out at the age of 6 to 12 months. Then only 2 vaccinations are required with an interval of 1-2 months. And revaccination at 18 months.
But, if vaccination is carried out for a child from 1 to 5 years old, then only 1 vaccination is required. And revaccination is not carried out at all. At this age, a child develops lasting immunity after a single dose of the vaccine.
Children over 5 years old are not vaccinated. They are believed to have a perfect immune system to fight Haemophilus influenzae infection.

Why are not all children vaccinated?

Currently, there is enough vaccine in clinics to vaccinate against hemophilus influenzae to all children under 2 years of age and to everyone under 5 years of age, so vaccination is offered to all parents.

But since there are several vaccination schedules, parents have too many options. And they are lost in choice. Some people refuse vaccinations altogether. And some people think too long. The child is already 5 years old and no longer needs vaccination.

I hope this article helped you decide what your child needs. vaccination against hemophilus influenzae or not. I wish you good health!

Instructions for using vaccines.

The widespread practice of immunizing children against Hib infection began in the mid-80s; since 1990, Hib vaccination has been introduced into the vaccination schedule in the USA, Canada and some countries Western Europe. Subsequently, in these countries, children began to suffer from epiglottitis, and other very rare diseases, much less often. dangerous diseases caused by Hib infection. Today, Hib vaccination is administered to young children in many countries around the world. In Russia, children from risk groups are vaccinated at state expense; parents can get all other children vaccinated for a fee at any medical institution providing similar services.

What is Hib?

The abbreviation HBI is the name of the microorganism Hemophilus influenza type B (Haemophilus influenzae type B). All diseases caused by this pathogen are combined into one group, which I classify as hemophilus influenzae infection.

Haemophilus influenzae type B has a number of features that allow it from the site of primary localization (usually respiratory tract) penetrate the blood and spread throughout the body, provoking the formation of purulent foci in various organs - the brain, lungs, joints, ears, etc.

The most common clinical manifestations of hemophilus influenzae infection are the following acute diseases:

Purulent.
Epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis), which leads to the development of croup.
– inflammation of subcutaneous fatty tissue.
Sepsis is a general inflammatory reaction of the body that occurs in response to pathogenic bacteria entering the bloodstream.

All these diseases develop mainly in those children who do not have immunity to Hib. Particularly susceptible to severe forms hemophilus influenzae infection in children of the first two years of life. Only timely vaccination (started at 3 months of age) can protect them. It, of course, does not provide an absolute guarantee: children who have received the vaccine also become infected with Haemophilus influenzae and get sick, but their illness progresses as usual or is practically asymptomatic.

A child can encounter Hib infection anywhere (the pathogen enters the human body from the air - via airborne droplets). Many people have been carriers and distributors of dangerous Haemophilus influenzae for years, but do not even know it.

Important:Children's groups are especially dangerous from the point of view of contracting hemophilus influenzae infection, so parents, when sending their child to kindergarten, must necessarily vaccinate him against Hib.

Indications for Hib vaccination

All children under 5 years of age must be vaccinated with Hib. Older children, as a rule, already have immunity to hemophilus influenzae infection (since they encountered it at least once in kindergarten or school), so severe forms of the disease are not dangerous for them. This is confirmed by long-term observations of Hib infection: among children over 5 years of age and adults, meningitis, pneumonia, and epiglottitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae are extremely rare.

However, some groups of children are vaccinated with Hib regardless of age, one might say according to health conditions. In case of infection with Haemophilus influenzae, they experience the most high risk development of the most severe forms of infection - meningitis, pneumonia, sepsis. Risk groups include children with:

immunodeficiencies;
oncological diseases;
serious developmental defects;
long history of use of immunosuppressants;
(this also includes babies born to HIV-infected mothers);
asplenia (absence or absolute dysfunction of the spleen).

Moreover, in Russia mandatory vaccination Children from orphanages are susceptible to Hib infection.

Contraindications to Hib vaccination

An absolute contraindication to Hib vaccination is for the vaccine or its individual components. This fact is established by the body’s abnormal reaction to the previous vaccination.

A child may be temporarily exempted from vaccination if, at the time of examination, he or she is diagnosed with acute illness or exacerbation of a chronic illness. Such children can be vaccinated with Hib a few weeks after recovery or improvement of their condition. If the illness was not severe (for example, intestinal disorders), vaccination is carried out immediately after normalization of body temperature, stool, etc.

To avoid any misunderstandings or undetected diseases that are contraindications to the vaccine, the child must be examined by a doctor before each vaccination.

Hib vaccination schedule

The Hib vaccination schedule is determined by the age at which this vaccination begins:

If the child 3 months, then Hib vaccination is done together with (often used for this combination drugs, for example, Pentaxim). The next vaccinations are carried out at 4.5 and 6 months, and revaccination at 18 months. The schedule may shift if, for example, the first vaccination is given not at 3, but at 4 months, but in general, for children under 6 months of age, the principle of immunization against Hib infection should be as follows.
If vaccination is necessary for a child who it's already been 6 months, but not yet a year old, the following schedule is used: 2 vaccinations are carried out at an interval of a month and revaccination a year after the second vaccination.
For kids from 1 year to 5 years Those who have not previously been vaccinated against Hib are given a single immunization.

Thus, you should not be upset if for some reason the vaccination had to be postponed. The pediatrician will always be able to choose the most suitable and effective scheme vaccinations depending on the age of the small patient.

Preparing for Hib vaccination

No special preparation required. Parents only need to follow the general recommendations:

Make sure that the child does not come into contact with contagious patients, stay less in closed crowded rooms, etc.
Do not make sudden changes in your baby's diet.
Monitor the child's stool (if there is a tendency to do so, take measures for normal bowel movements).

Side effects of Hib

Hib vaccination is easily tolerated by children. In 10% of cases, the following post-vaccination reactions are possible (develop at the site of vaccine administration):

redness;
compaction;
soreness.

An increase in temperature (up to 38 degrees) is less common. You may also experience irritability, tearfulness, poor appetite. If Hib vaccination was carried out complex preparation(together with DPT), the reaction to the vaccine may be more pronounced, but this is due not so much to the Hib component as to the DPT.

In general, those rare and minimal consequences of Hib vaccination are completely disproportionate in terms of the risk to the life of a child with ailments caused by Hemophilus influenzae. It’s better to bring down the temperature once and endure his whims with your baby than to face such a terrible disease as meningitis or sepsis.

Vaccinations against Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) have become popular in our country relatively recently. In 2011, vaccination against Hib was included in the vaccination calendar of Russia. Today, there are 2 vaccinations that protect against Haemophilus influenzae - “Hiberix” and “Act-HIB”. There are very few differences between them. But there are still some.

From the article below you will learn what the differences are between these vaccines, what the Act-HIB vaccine is, when it is given, and what complications it can cause.

What is the danger of hemophilus influenzae infection?

Haemophilus influenzae infection is caused by a bacterium called Haemophilus influenzae (Afanasyev-Pfeiffer bacillus). There are only six known types of Haemophilus influenzae. The most dangerous disease in terms of severity and complications is the disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b. Up to 90% of adults and about 40% of children are carriers of this infection. This fact is not surprising, because Hib is a conditional pathogen and its presence in the body is a certain amount considered normal. It is especially common in children's groups. In 5% of carriers of hemophilus influenzae infection, type b bacillus is detected.

The infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. That is, the risk of infection is very high. In kindergartens it is transmitted not only through the air, but also through toys, dishes, towels and other objects public use. There are two possible outcomes when bacteria enter the body. They depend on the number of sticks hit. With significant contamination, a disease occurs, with small contamination, carriage. Neither is a favorable option. When carrier clinical manifestations no, but as soon as the immune system weakens, the bacteria begins to multiply and a disease occurs.

Children aged 6 months to 5 years are most susceptible to hemophilus influenzae infection, but the period from six months to a year is considered the most dangerous in terms of the development of complications.

Meningitis can lead to organic lesions brain or even fatal outcome. Up to 15% of purulent meningitis caused by CHIB result in death.
Epiglottitis is dangerous due to asphyxia (suffocation).
Pneumonia differs in severity and a large number deaths. Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia is in second place in frequency among the children's population.
Sepsis can be a complication of any disease.
Bronchitis is a less dangerous complication than pneumonia in terms of consequences, but there is a high probability of the process becoming chronic.

In addition to the above complications, CHIB can cause acute respiratory infections, otitis media, and arthritis. The danger also lies in the fact that initial manifestations Diseases are often absent, that is, it proceeds secretly. A clinical symptoms appear when complications arise. Treatment of Haemophilus influenzae infection is quite difficult due to the high resistance of Hib bacillus strains to antibiotics. That is why the issue of preventing the very fact of infection through vaccination is so urgent.

The manufacturer of Act-HIB is the French company Sanofi Pasteur. This drug has been registered in Russia since 1997. The Act-HIB vaccine is more widespread in Russia than Hiberix because it was imported and began to be used earlier.

The Act-HIB vaccine includes a polysaccharide from the surface of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b, conjugated with tetanus toxoid. The Act-HIB vaccine does not contain the bacteria themselves and cannot cause disease.

Unlike Hiberix, Act-HIB contains sucrose instead of lactose and Trometamol as an ion regulator.

What does the Act-HIB vaccine protect against? - only from Haemophilus influenzae type b. It would be wrong to say that it protects against meningitis and pneumonia, because these diseases can also be caused by other pathogens.

Compared to Hiberix, Act-HIB has more clinical studies. They studied the effectiveness, safety and reactogenicity of the vaccine. The results are encouraging. More than 95% of children have developed strong immunity that lasts for 4 years. Why is it enough to maintain immunity for only 4 years? Because from the age of five, a child begins to produce a full amount of antibodies against Hib and vaccination is no longer required.

The Act-HIB vaccination provides not only individual protection, but also the so-called herd immunity. Studies conducted in this direction have revealed that the carriage of infection in vaccinated children's groups has decreased from 40% to 3%. And in those regions where vaccination against Hib is included in the vaccination calendar, the prevalence of diseases associated with Haemophilus influenzae has decreased by 80–90%. The Act-HIB vaccination, by causing the production of antibodies in the body of carriers, helps cleanse the body of this microbe.

In particular, Act-HIB vaccination is indicated for a child who lives with children of preschool or school age. The earlier this vaccination is given, the faster immunity will form. If a child has passed the dangerous age of 6–12 months, this does not mean that he no longer needs vaccination. It can be used up to the age of 5 years. If a child often gets sick when visiting kindergartens, this is an additional argument in favor of vaccination with the Act-HIB vaccine.

How and when to vaccinate

The Act-HIB vaccine against hemophilus influenzae is given to children from two months of age. The Act-HIB vaccination schedule, like all Hib vaccines, is the same. If the Act-HIB vaccine is given at the age of 2 to 6 months, then:

If a child is vaccinated from six months to a year, then one stage is removed from the scheme. Accordingly, vaccinations are given at intervals of one month. When vaccinated at the age of 1–5 years, one injection is sufficient. Revaccination with Act-HIB is not required.

The Act-HIB vaccine is administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Good fit deltoid or anterior outer surface of the thigh.

Contraindications and side effects

The instructions for the Act-HIB vaccine inform that the vaccination is contraindicated:

persons with individual intolerance to any component of the vaccine;
children who have been observed allergic reaction for the administration of Hib vaccines or other vaccinations with such a component;
children who are allergic to tetanus toxoid, as it is contained in a small dose in the Act-HIB vaccine.

It is temporarily impossible to vaccinate children with acute respiratory infections - the Act-HIB vaccine should be administered against the background full health. To minimize the risk of complications and adverse reactions On the day of vaccination and for several days after it, it is not recommended to overcool or overheat, go to crowded places, or visit children's groups. On the day of vaccination, it is better not to swim or walk.

The Act-HIB vaccine has side effects, characteristic of most vaccines. They occur very rarely. Repeated clinical trials showed that the most common is a local reaction to the injection. This is local redness, pain and tissue hardening. The incidence of this reaction is 7–10%. This complication of Act-HIB goes away on its own and usually does not require any intervention.

Act-HIB can cause fever in 1% of cases. It's pretty low rate compared to other vaccines. In the entire history of use, 4 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome are known - inflammation of the spinal roots, characterized by paresis, impaired sensitivity, autonomic disorders.

Others serious consequences The Act-HIB vaccine does not cause. There were no cases of anaphylaxis, urticaria or angioedema, but such complications cannot be excluded.

To summarize, we note that vaccination against Hib infection has undeniable advantages. Those who are often ill, children who attend kindergartens, or who have brothers or sisters who go to similar children's public institutions are in the group increased risk. Vaccination with the Act-HIB vaccine provides not only individual, but also collective immunity and reduces the number of carriers. Reactions to Act-HIB occur very rarely. Given their good tolerability, you should not refuse to administer them. The consequences of hemophilus influenzae infection are much worse local reactions for the Act-HIB vaccination! An analogue of the drug "Act-HIB" is the vaccine "Hiberix". They are very similar. There is a slight difference in the composition and the fact that Act-HIB is not recommended to be mixed in one syringe with other vaccinations.

When children go to kindergarten, this is, of course, an exciting event, since they take the first step towards society, albeit a growing one. But besides the fact that the child will have to establish relationships with other children and contact teachers, his body also takes on the challenge. It's about about various types of infections that your beloved child’s immune system may encounter.

One of these threats is hemophilus influenzae infection, and for children to receive necessary protection against it, doctors use the Act-HIB or Hiberix vaccine. These two vaccines are not significantly different from each other, and if you try to find out which one is most effective, you will find that the level of impact in both cases is actually the same. In addition, these two types of vaccines are produced by the same manufacturer. The only difference between Act and Hiberix is that it (the Act vaccine) is incompatible with Infarnix. This is where the differences end.

Speaking in more detail about the above-mentioned type of vaccination, it is worth noting that its goal is to create the desired reaction immune system for hemophilus influenzae. This prophylactic regimen actively used all over the world.

In order to clearly understand the relevance of vaccination against Hib infection, it is necessary to pay attention directly to the threat of infection itself.

The vaccine was first introduced in Finland (1989). Following her, the USA included the Act in its vaccination calendar in 1990, 2 years later Norway, Great Britain and Denmark followed the example of the States. In Russia, the Act began to be used in 1997.

Why is Hib infection dangerous?

Initially, it is worth noting that Hib infection is one of the types of Haemophilus influenzae, which can have serious negative impact on the child's body. This species is classified as Haemophilus influenzae b, which is the most pathogenic compared to other bacteria of this type.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that, unlike other countries where the main consequence of Hib infection is meningitis, children in Russia periodically encounter complications from infection such as bronchitis, pneumonia and other acute respiratory diseases.

According to statistics, it is Hib infection that causes about 25% of all cases of pneumonia, 20% of otitis media and more than 50% of meningitis in children under 5 years of age.
Considering the fact that more than 40% of all children who end up in kindergarten, are carriers of the infection (which, by the way, is transmitted by airborne droplets), the probability of infection is very high. Therefore, the relevance of Hib vaccination is difficult to overestimate.

Those parents who do not have information about what the Hib Act vaccination is and what it should protect their child from, need to delve into this topic and find out where in their locality You can get this type of vaccination. This is important for the reason that in Russia the inclusion of ACT against Hib infection in the vaccination calendar has not been finally decided.
The main thing is not to delay vaccination before sending your child to kindergarten, since in the period up to 5 years children's body most in need of protection from Hib.

Vaccine Act - Hib

The main risks of contracting Haemophilus influenzae infection

When studying what Hiba is, it is important not only to understand how dangerous this infection is for a child, but also to understand under what circumstances the risk of infection can be extremely high.

As mentioned above, one of the main reasons for contracting hemophilus influenzae is visiting any institutions where there is a large concentration of children. This could be a kindergarten or nursery.
If a child’s body is forced to fight any chronic disease, the risk of infection increases significantly. The fact is that without the Hib vaccine, even the majority of healthy children are unable to resist the effects of Haemophilus influenzae, and if the immune system is weakened by a constant illness, then it is virtually impossible to protect against such a powerful infection. Therefore, children who have blood diseases should diabetes mellitus, cardiac dysfunction, immunodeficiency of any origin, periodic acute respiratory infections and lung diseases, the Hib Act vaccine is simply necessary.
When assessing the risk of infection in children under 5 years of age, it is worth taking into account such factors as whether they have brothers or sisters who are already going to school. Despite the fact that the body of schoolchildren is more resistant to hemophilus influenzae infection, he may be a carrier of the bacillus. So children preschool age are at risk of becoming infected from older sisters or brothers. The conclusion is simple: if there are several children in a family of different ages, the vaccination must be in mandatory made to younger family members.
If a baby has to be bottle-fed, its protection is significantly reduced, so the Hib vaccine is clearly recommended in these circumstances.

Vaccination effectiveness

Since on at the moment Since the Hib vaccine is proposed as the main means of protection against hemophilus influenzae infection, a logical question arises as to how effective it is and whether, after vaccination, you can no longer worry about your child.

The result of studies regarding the impact of the Hib Act vaccination on the body of children under 5 years of age showed results that inspire optimism: in fact, 100% of those who were vaccinated successfully developed immune defense, strong enough to prevent the development of Haemophilus influenzae infection.
Also, the indicators of the level of diseases based on Haemophilus influenzae in those countries that have introduced vaccination at the state level into the vaccination calendar speak volumes: cases of infection in these regions decreased by 84 - 97%. This is definitely a clear argument in favor of the effectiveness of the Hib vaccine.

In Russia, attention was also paid to the problem of hemophilus influenzae infection. As a result of studies conducted in specific children's groups who were vaccinated with the Hib Act vaccine, an impressive result was obtained: the number of children who are carriers of the infection decreased from 41% to 3%.
Thus, the vaccine works perfectly in two directions - it forms protection in those who are not yet infected and neutralizes the activity of the rod in the body of children who are carriers. The consequence of such changes will be a noticeable (approximately 6 times) reduction in the number of cases of acute respiratory diseases, pneumonia and bronchitis.

How to vaccinate correctly?

To bring the vaccine Hib Act V active action, the powder used for grafting must be mixed with a solvent and brought to a clear liquid state by shaking.
For one dose that needs to be administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly, 0.5 ml will be sufficient.

Children who have not yet reached the age of 6 months should be vaccinated in 3 stages (injections), between which there should be a gap of 1-1.5 months. After a year it is recommended to carry out preventive vaccination again.
If the first vaccination is given to a child after 6 months and up to a year, vaccination is divided into 2 stages, between which there is a pause of 1 month. For those children who are vaccinated for the first time at the age of 1 year and older (up to 5 years), one vaccination will be sufficient.

Hemophilus influenzae infection can rightfully be considered one of the most harmful. According to research, Haemophilus influenzae type b, CHIB, is the cause of half of the cases of purulent a in children under 5 years of age with a frequency of severe, crippling complications reaching 40%.

However main danger Hib infections are not even s, but acute respiratory infections, including pneumonia and, because these are its forms, according to the World Health Organization and the Russian Ministry of Health, that are the most common in countries where there is no routine vaccination against this infection. Unfortunately, these countries still include Russia. We asked the manager to answer questions about this infection Clinical Center immunoprophylaxis of childhood infections by Professor Mikhail Petrovich KOSTINOV.

Mikhail Petrovich, what is Hib infection and why is so little known about it?

Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) infection is a group of diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b. It spreads through saliva when sneezing and coughing, as well as through toys and household items that children put into their mouths. Haemophilus influenzae can cause pneumonia, acute respiratory infections, and other diseases. Unfortunately, on a national scale in Russia they are just beginning to identify and register this infection and, accordingly, to train doctors. It is for this reason that it is relatively little known. However, there is no doubt that this problem is very relevant for our country.

How common is Haemophilus influenzae infection?

According to Russian studies, in children's groups the proportion of hemophilus influenzae carriers can reach 40%, which explains the frequent colds in children attending or starting to attend kindergartens and nurseries.

Unlike older children and adults, children under 5 years of age, due to insufficient development of the immune system, cannot independently, without vaccination, develop immunity to Hib. Therefore, sometimes they suffer this infection more than once.

How often does Haemophilus influenzae cause disease?

In Russia, HIB is one of the main causes of acute respiratory infections,

causes up to half of purulent infections, a third of pneumonia and inflammation.

For whom does this infection pose the greatest threat?

All children under 5 years of age, inclusive, are susceptible to Hib infection. First of all, those who attend a nursery or kindergarten. According to WHO, children at higher risk of developing CHIB are artificial feeding children who do not receive antibodies to this infection from their mother, children with weakened immune systems. Chronic diseases heart, lungs, weakening the immune system, also facilitate the penetration of Hib infection into the body.

How easy is CHIB to treat?

Hib infection is very difficult to treat, since this bacillus is record-breakingly resistant to antibiotics. For this reason, even timely treatment modern medicines are often ineffective. For some common drugs, such as erythromycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, the percentage of resistance of Haemophilus influenzae is 80-100%, and these are Russian data. Therefore, treatment should ideally begin with determining individual sensitivity to antibiotics.

How to protect your child from hemophilus influenzae infection?

The only simple and reliable means of preventing hemophilus influenzae infection is vaccination. Modern Hib vaccines are virtually 100% effective and reliably protect the child throughout the dangerous period.

Vaccinations against Hib infection have been administered abroad since 1989. They are routinely vaccinated against it in more than 100 countries around the world. In some of them, such as the USA, Great Britain, France, Canada, Finland, vaccinations against this infection are mandatory and included in national calendars vaccinations. By the way, since 2006, Hib vaccination has been included in the calendar mandatory vaccinations Ukraine. In Russia, vaccinations against hemophilus influenzae have been administered for more than 10 years. Since there is no Russian vaccine against Hib yet, immunization is carried out by the French, Pasteur, which can rightfully be called the “gold standard” - with its advent, in fact, the history of vaccination against Hib throughout the world began.

According to our studies, as well as studies conducted almost throughout Russia, it effectively reduces the level of carriage of Haemophilus influenzae and significantly, by 4-10 times, reduces the incidence of acute respiratory infections. Vaccinated children actually begin to get sick less often. For now, this vaccination can only be done for money, in paid centers vaccination, although some regions have already begun to purchase this vaccine for children from special risk groups.

How easily do children tolerate this vaccination and do they need to prepare for it?

The vaccine consists of only one antigen, so it is well tolerated and does not require any preparation. Temperature reactions to it are very rare, no more than 1% of vaccinated people, and mild reactions at the injection site (redness, slight thickening) occur in no more than 5% of children.

Children from 1 to 5 years old only need one vaccination. If possible, then for such babies it should ideally be supplemented with vaccination against pneumococcal infection, and then the child will be maximally protected from acute respiratory infections, not worse than children in the same USA.