Schedule and Side Effects Of Hib (H. influenzae Type B) Vaccine

In the early years of your baby’s childhood, it is the most important priority to keep the baby safe and healthy. It is also necessary to build up a proper immune system so that when your baby grows up, he or she can have enough physical ability to fight against any type of harmful diseases and thus stay fit and healthy. Often there are some micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and so on that are found on the surface of the earth that enter the human body and cause various types of infections and lead to fatal diseases. The hib is one such disease that commonly occurs to young children within 5 years of age. So, it is important to take necessary precautions and preventive measures from a young age so that the bacteria that causes the Hib disease can cause no harm to your child. When you have a little baby, it is crucial to know how to get it jabbed with a Hib vaccine, what is the correct age to get the vaccination, whether your child is physically eligible enough to get the Hib vaccine, how to care for the child after vaccination, and most importantly, whether there will be any side effect in your child’s body after taking the Hib vaccine. So, here is the ultimate guide for a Hib vaccine that needs to be given to your little child.

Here Is All About The Hib Disease:

Hib disease is a common disease that occurs in children and can be fatal if no prior precaution or prevention measure is taken. This disease occurs due to an infection caused within the body by a species of bacteria and affects young children. The main species of organism, scientifically known as Haemophilus influenza type b that is responsible for causing this disease among young children is meningitis bacteria.

This disease becomes lethal when the bacteria form infection and spreads all over the child’s body, particularly into major organs. When the child’s body is attacked by this species of bacteria, it spreads the infection in the child’s brain and affects the protective membrane around the brain and the spinal cord. This infection in the brain and in the spinal cord is a severe one. Often termed bacterial meningitis, this infection in the child’s brain can affect the normal brain functioning and can lead to fever, a significant reduction in the cognitive ability of the child, stages of brain coma (in serious cases), and can even lead to death. According to recent studies and experiments it has been found that on average around 3% to 6% of the children who have the Hib disease die either out of coma or brain damage. If they survive, they are left behind with permanent neural disability and may also suffer from blindness to paralysis.

Besides, this disease has the ability to cause other health severities such as follows:

• pneumonia
• severe swelling in the throat, making it hard to breathe
• infections of the blood, joints, bones, heart, and other parts of the body

What is a Hib vaccine?

Hib vaccine is a vaccine that contains an antigen of the Hib disease. When injected into the human body, the vaccine produces effective antibodies that protect the human body from any kind of infection by the bacteria that causes Hib disease. The vaccine is usually jabbed in 3 or 4 doses. Talk to your health care expert to know exactly how many times you need to get jabbed depending on the brand that you are recommended. This vaccine also helps to protect young children from pneumonia, infections in the outer membrane of the heart known as pericarditis, and some bacterial infections in blood, bones, and joints.

There is a particular time to get the Hib vaccines according to age. For infants and little children, the age of getting the first dose of Hib vaccine is at 2 months of age and the course of the vaccine gets completed within the age of almost 12 to 15 months.

Children who are in the age group of 12 months to 5 years will need1 or more doses of the Hib vaccine if they have not taken any jab of the vaccine at the age of 2 months. The Hib vaccine is not always prescribed for children who are of the age groups of 5 years and more or adults. In fact, those who have issues in their spleen- that is either in severe conditions or has been removed, or has health problems such as sickle cell anemia, leukemia, HIV, cancer in any part of the body or organ, or a bone marrow transplant, or any other disease that has already damaged your immune system, are advised to take the Hib vaccine. But this vaccine is safe and can be taken with any other vaccine doses.

Who Can Get The Hib Vaccine?

All children who are below 5 years of age are always prescribed to take a Hib vaccine. The correct time to take the Hib vaccine is 2 months after birth. The hip is a disease that occurs in infants and young children and its occurrence becomes rare after the child becomes older than 5 or more years. So, it is important to take protection against the infectious disease right in childhood and thus health care experts always advise new mothers to get their babies jabbed at the age of 2 months or similar.

Why Should Get The Hib Vaccine?

The Hib vaccine is given to children and babies at the age of 2 months to provide them with effective protection from the deadly bacteria known as Haemophilus influenza type b that causes Hib disease and other infections.

What Happens if My Child Misses a Dose of Hib Vaccine?

It might occur sometimes, that your baby might miss its first dose of the Hib vaccine, as it is supposed to be taken at the age of 2 months. So, if your baby misses a dose of Hib vaccine, then acknowledge your health care expert or the pediatrician who is taking care of your child in the very next visit. The doctor might ask to get your child another ‘catch-up’ dose and then a booster dose of Hib later.

Can my child still get infected with Hib bacteria after getting a dose of the vaccine?

Though your child will be mostly protected after getting a jab of the Hib vaccine from the harmful infections of the Hib disease, there are still some chances that the child might develop mild Hib disease, but the chances are very low.

Side effects of Hib Vaccine on your child:

Though the Hib vaccine is mostly safe, there are still some side effects that might occur to your child after getting the dose of the Hib vaccine. Some such adverse effects are as follows:

• symptoms of mild to severe redness, swelling, or tenderness, and a feeling of soreness on the spot where the vaccine has been injected
• Allergic reactions to the vaccine

How To Care For Baby After Vaccination?

As a new parent, one must be worried about how to care for the baby after vaccination. In some cases, it has often been found that after getting jabbed, children show mild symptoms of soreness and redness in the spot where they have been jabbed.

But if the reaction becomes severe, causing pain or fever, it is always advisable to get the help of your health care expert.