A deadly bacterial disease is making a comeback as vaccine rates fall

Key Points:

• Dr. Lara Johnson’s scar from a childhood emergency tracheostomy highlights the severe impact of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), a bacterial infection preventable by vaccine, which was unavailable when she was infected in 1980.
• Hib infections in the U.S. have drastically declined since the introduction of the vaccine in 1987, dropping from about 20,000 cases annually to fewer than 50, but recent decreases in vaccination rates raise concerns about a potential resurgence.
• Doctors report new Hib cases, including severe meningitis and fatalities among unvaccinated children, prompting heightened vigilance and changes in diagnostic approaches to bacterial infections in young patients.
• The CDC recommends multiple Hib vaccinations for children under five, with over 93% effectiveness, but vaccine hesitancy has increased nationwide, partly influenced by public figures and policy changes, threatening to reverse decades of progress.
• Personal stories, such as the loss of 8-year-old Liam Dahlberg to Hib meningitis despite vaccination, underscore the risks for immunocompromised children and the urgent need to maintain high vaccination coverage to protect vulnerable populations.