Premium
Foresight in medicine: current challenges with Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines
Author(s) -
Eskola J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.625
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1365-2796
pISSN - 0954-6820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2009.02182.x
Subject(s) - medicine , conjugate vaccine , pneumonia , hib vaccine , meningitis , haemophilus influenzae , pediatrics , pasteurellaceae , haemophilus , immunology , intensive care medicine , virology , immunization , antibiotics , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , antigen , biology , genetics
Eskola J (National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki). Foresight in medicine: current challenges with Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines (Foresight). J Intern Med 2010; 267 : 241–250. Abstract. An effective vaccine to prevent invasive infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) bacteria has been available for more than 20 years. Hib conjugate vaccine is safe, efficacious and easy to use, and its cost‐benefit ratio is high both in industrialized as well as in developing countries. In spite of this, WHO estimates that every year approximately 8 million children contract life‐threatening Haemophilus infections, especially meningitis or severe pneumonia. If we want to take seriously the Millenium Development Goal of reducing the mortality of under 5‐year‐old children by two‐thirds before the year 2015, an effective means to contribute to this would be more efficient use of Hib vaccines [1].