Is Your Child Protected against Hib Disease?

Hib bacteria can cause severe diseases like meningitis, but Hib disease is vaccine-preventable. Your child should get the full series of Hib shots as an infant plus one booster shot at 12 through 15 months of age.

The Hib vaccine prevents Hib disease, which is caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) bacteria and can cause serious illness in infants and children. Babies receive 2 or 3 doses of Hib vaccine (depending on vaccine type) by age 6 months (known as the primary series) and then receive one booster shot at 12 through 15 months of age.

What Is Hib Disease and Is It Serious?

Hib bacteria (Haemophilus influenzae type b) spread through contact with mucus or droplets from the nose and throat of an infected person, often by coughing or sneezing. Most of the time, Hib is spread by people who have the bacteria in their noses and throats but who are not ill (asymptomatic).

Before Hib vaccines, there were about 20,000 cases of invasive Hib disease each year in the US. Invasive disease means that germs invade parts of the body that are normally free from germs. When this happens, disease is usually very severe, causing hospitalization or even death. Before a Hib vaccine was available, Hib was the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the US. About 12,000 children each year—most of them younger than 5 years of age—got Hib meningitis. Meningitis is just one of the invasive diseases that can be caused by Hib. Hib can also cause life-threatening infections that make it difficult to breathe, including epiglottitis (infection in the throat) and pneumonia (infection in the lungs). Other forms of invasive Hib disease include blood, bone, or joint infections.

Despite the success of Hib vaccine, parents need to remember the disease is still out there. Hib can be carried in the noses and throats of people who are not sick from the disease. These people can spread Hib bacteria to infants and children who are not protected by Hib vaccine. Vaccinating infants protects them at a time when they are most vulnerable to disease. If vaccination levels get too low in the United States, Hib disease could make a comeback. Read a story about a family affected by Hib disease.

How Can I Protect My Child from Hib Disease?

Hib vaccine prevents Hib disease. All children younger than 5 years of age should be vaccinated with Hib vaccine. There are two types of Hib vaccine for infants. With one vaccine, your child gets doses at 2, 4, and 6 months of age; with the other vaccine, your child gets doses at 2 and 4 months of age. All children need one booster shot at 12 through 15 months of age. You should check vaccination records to see if your child has received all doses of Hib vaccine. If unsure, you should call your child's doctor, nurse, or clinic.

Some brands of vaccine contain Hib along with other vaccines in a single shot. Hib vaccine can safely be combined with other vaccines to make these combination vaccines. Combination vaccines may be used for any or all doses given at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Combination vaccines can also be used for the booster dose. If combination vaccines are the only vaccines available to your child's healthcare provider, they should be used to complete the Hib series, even if this results in your child receiving additional doses of another vaccine. If your child misses a dose or gets behind schedule, the next dose should be given as soon as possible. There is no need to start over.

Call your child's healthcare provider if you have questions and to make sure your child has received all scheduled doses of Hib vaccine.

More Information

• To learn more about Hib, Hib vaccine, or other childhood vaccines, visit Hib Vaccination
• Fact sheet describes symptoms of Hib disease as well as benefits and risks of vaccination [PDF - 400 KB]
• See the parent-friendly version of the Recommended Immunizations for Children from Birth Through 6 Years Old [PDF - 722 KB]
• Hib Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Vaccine Information Statement) (English [PDF - 65 KB] or other languages )
• For vaccine and immunization information, call 1-800-232-4636 (1-800-CDC-INFO) or e-mail cdcinfo@cdc.gov
• ¿Está protegido su niño contra la enfermedad por Hib?