Meningitis and epiglottitis: a new immunisation against haemophilus influenzae type b infections.

Since 1985 the number of cases of systemic haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease in children in the Oxford region has been recorded. This study shows that a cumulative incidence of children suffering systematic Hib infections before their fifth birthday is 1:600, 71 per cent of sufferers having meningitis. Because the incidence of haemophilus infections may be increasing in the UK and there is increasing resistance of the organism to antimicrobial therapy, the need for primary prevention through immunisation is becoming increasingly attractive. We have therefore undertaken a safety and immunogenicity study of a haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (HbO-C) as a first step towards introducing a routine immunisation programme for the UK.