Haemophilus influenza type b vaccine in Israel: experience in a paediatric ambulatory clinic

Summary

In Israel, vaccinations are the overall responsibility of the government. We were the first in Israel to give the Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b) vaccine to the population, through independent means, without government control. The aim of the study was to follow longitudinally the specific group of children vaccinated in our ambulatory clinic. In this study, 1,497 children between 2 and 52 [mean (SD) 13 (9)] months of age at the time of first vaccination were vaccinated with Hib vaccine. Over the next 7 years, they were followed up by repeated phone calls when parents were asked about hospitalisation and any serious infectious diseases. Of the 1,497, 1,444 were followed during the years 1992 to 1999 and 36 were hospitalised during this time. All blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures were negative. No proven case of Hib infection could be demonstrated. Despite the small sample size, this study justifies the continued use of the vaccine along with maintaining surveillance for Hib infection.