According to the World Health Organization, haemophilus influenzae type b is a bacterium that causes a variety of diseases in infants and young children. WHO experts estimate that the bacterium kills almost 400,000 children every year; roughly 3 million children develop illness but do not die.

Diseases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that haemophilus influenzae type b can cause many invasive diseases, including pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis, otitis media and endocarditis, all of which affect the brain, heart or respiratory systems of infants and small children. The CDC notes that 3 to 6 percent of cases are fatal; hearing loss or other long-term effects strike up to 20 percent of survivors.

Incidence

The CDC reports that the incidence of diseases caused by haemophilus influenzae type b is low in most developed countries--less than one case per 100,000 children under age 5--because of a widely used vaccine against the bacterium. CDC statistics show that haemophilus influenzae type b diseases mostly affect children who have not received the vaccine. The WHO and CDC both report that haemophilus influenzae type b is responsible for most of the lower respiratory tract diseases in children in developing nations.

Diagnosis

Because haemophilus influenzae type b does not cause one specific illness, it is difficult for doctors to detect or diagnose. The WHO reports that doctors must take samples from a sick person, isolate the bacterium in a laboratory and conduct tests to confirm haemophilus influenzae type b.

Treatment

The CDC and the WHO report that diseases caused by haemophilus influenzae type b respond to intensive courses of antibiotics. The WHO has reported instances of bacterial resistance against some of the cheaper, more readily available antibiotics, causing some concern in the scientific community of developing nations as doctors there must then switch to more expensive, less available drugs to save children's lives.

Considerations

The WHO reports that the cost associated with the vaccine for haemophilus influenzae type b is a major challenge for doctors in the developing world. CDC experts face challenges with declining supplies of vaccine, parents concerned about vaccinating their children, and the lack of a quick, cheap test to accurately diagnose the presence of haemophilus influenzae type b in children.

Source:

World Health Organization: Haemophilus influenzae type B

Directors of Health Promotion and Education: Haemophilus influenzae type B

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Haemophilus influenzae type B disease