Hib Vaccine

The Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine, also known as Hib vaccine, is a vaccine used to prevent Haemophilus influenzae type b infection, which has decreased rates of severe Hib infections including meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottitis by more than 90 percent in countries that include it as a routine vaccine. It is recommended by both the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, typically given as two or three doses before six months of age. An initial Hib vaccine using plain, unconjugated type b polysaccharide was introduced in the United States in 1985, but was replaced by a more effective conjugated formulation beginning in 1987, and all Hib vaccines currently in use are conjugate vaccines. As of 2013, 184 countries included it in their routine vaccinations, and it is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.