Accelerating Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine introduction in the world’s poorest countries: a dream is coming true

摘要

In 2007, while performing a site visit to a projectnfunded by the Hib Initiative in a district hospitalnin rural Tanzania, we saw two girls with Haemophilusninfluenzae type b (Hib) meningitis: an4 month old who was just admitted, and a 7 yearnold in a coma. Laboratory results showed thatnboth Hib isolates were resistant to amoxicillinnand chloramphenicol. The 7 year old had beennswitched from amoxicillin, the first-line treatmentnin Tanzania, to ceftriaxone, an expensivenbut more effective drug. The 4 month old wasnstarted on a course of amoxicillin, but died beforenthe laboratory results came back and before herntreatment could be changed. Neither child wasnvaccinated against Hib as the Hib vaccine is notnpart of the expanded program of immunizationnin Tanzania. Sadly, these children represent twonof the approximately 400,000 children that dienevery year from this preventable disease [1].