- Meningitis, a brain infection, is the most common disease caused by Hib, according to the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), but it can also cause epiglotitis, life-threatening constriction of airways; infections in the joints, skin and bones; or pneumonia.
- While only about 5 percent of children who develop meningitis die, 15 to 30 percent of survivors have permanent neurological damage, such as blindness, deafness or mental retardation, reports the IAC.
- The Hib vaccine typically is given to babies at ages 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 to 15 months.
- Serious side effects from the vaccine---other than allergic reactions---are uncommon, according to CDC.gov. Most babies experience, at most, redness or swelling at the injection site or a low-grade fever.
- In the early 1980s---before the Hib vaccine was introduced---at least 20,000 children contracted Hib disease each year, according to the IAC. On average, 1 out of every 20 children who was diagnosed with the disease died.
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