Carriage of Haemophilus influenzae type b in children after widespread vaccination with conjugate Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines.
Rates of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease in children decreased very rapidly after licensure of Hib conjugate vaccines. A role for a vaccine-related reduction in nasopharyngeal carriage of Hib has been suggested. We studied oropharyngeal carriage of Hib and vaccination rates in a population of 2- to 5-year-old children in metropolitan Atlanta. Among 584 children 75% were vaccinated with an Hib conjugate vaccine, 17% had not been vaccinated and 8% had no vaccination records available. Forty-one percent of the children were colonized with H. influenzae. One child was colonized with Hib. Hib carriage (0.17%; upper 95% confidence interval boundary, 0.97%) was substantially lower than the estimates of Hib carriage from prior studies of children who had not received Hib conjugate vaccines. Our data are consistent with a decline in Hib carriage induced by widespread use of conjugate Hib vaccines, which may have contributed to the decline of Hib disease in United States children.
Mohle-Boetani
J C
JC
Epidemic Intelligence Service and Preventive Medicine Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Ajello
G
G
Breneman
E
E
Deaver
K A
KA
Harvey
C
C
Plikaytis
B D
BD
Farley
M M
MM
Stephens
D S
DS
Wenger
J D
JD
D016667:Bacterial Capsules; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D014611:Vaccination
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; C044237:Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide vaccine; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; C061963:HibTITER protein, Haemophilus influenzae