Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine

Aluminium-free vaccinations to protect your child against the serious illnesses that can be caused by a Hib infection

Type of vaccine

Single Hib vaccination

Protects against

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)

Primary course

1-3 doses

Boosters

1

Suitable for ages

Up to 5 years

What is the Hib vaccine?

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a bacterial infection that can cause several serious illnesses, including meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia, particularly in young children under the age of five.

Hib infections used to be a serious health problem in the UK but routine immunisations given to babies since 1992 mean these infections are now rare.

These days, Hib is most likely to affect adults with underlying medical conditions. All children should be vaccinated against Hib to maintain the current low infection levels.

The right vaccines for your child

There are several different options to have your child vaccinated against Hib – there’s a single vaccination for Hib, a combination vaccination for Hib and meningitis C or protection against Hib can be offered via the 5-in-1 immunisation for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib.

How does the Hib vaccine work?

The Hib vaccine is what’s known as a polysaccharide conjugate vaccine.

This means it’s made from the sugar coating (polysaccharide) of the bacteria that causes Hib. The child’s immune system recognises the polysaccharide and produces antibodies to protect from infection.

In addition, the Hib polysaccharide is linked to a harmless protein (this is what the term “conjugate” refers to) because this creates a stronger immune response, making the vaccine more effective.

Who should have the Hib vaccine?

It is recommended that all children are vaccinated against Hib before the age of five.

At BabyJabs we can give one, two or three doses, depending on the right option for your child. This offers good protection when given at the appropriate ages. This is something we will discuss with you during your consultation.

Hib vaccine frequently asked questions

Some studies show that Hib vaccination protects approximately 98% of children from the disease. Another study has found that at least two doses of the Hib vaccine are needed to confer high levels of protection; effectiveness after two or three doses is typically greater than 85% against Hib meningitis and invasive Hib disease.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US states that more than 95% of infants develop Hib antibodies after two to three doses of a Hib conjugate vaccine.

Like all vaccines, the Hib vaccine can cause side effects. For the majority of people, they’re mild.

For the Hiberix vaccine (just for Hib protection), the most common side effects are:

  • Pain and redness at the injection site
  • Irritability
  • Drowsiness
  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fussiness
  • Restlessness

Some researchers believe that the Hib vaccine can occasionally cause diabetes in children, although others have found no evidence of a link.

In very rare cases, the Hib vaccine may cause an allergic reaction (approximately one in a million doses), seizure or apnoea. However, it should be noted that, because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it’s not possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to vaccination.

If your child experienced an allergic reaction after a previous dose of the Hib vaccine or they have any severe, life-threatening allergies, please let us know as this will help us to decide if and when the vaccination should be given.

Children with minor illnesses, such as a cold, can be vaccinated. If your child is feeling very poorly for any reason, then it’s usually better for them to fully recover before they have the vaccine.

It is sometimes advisable to delay giving the vaccination to premature infants or, in rare cases, any child who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome within six weeks of receipt of a prior vaccine containing tetanus toxoid.

Each Hib shot is usually given in the thigh or upper arm.

Although Hib vaccines provide long-lasting immunity, the exact duration of that immunity is not known. Certainly, the vaccine offers strong protection to children under the age of five who would be most at risk of developing serious health problems such as meningitis if they were to contract Hib without being vaccinated.

The Hib vaccine will protect your child from contracting Hib meningitis. If they have the Hib/MenC vaccine, it will also protect them against meningitis C.

Meningitis can be caused by other germs or viruses though, so it isn’t possible to provide 100% protection against all strains of the illness.

The risk of developing meningitis is far less than it would be without the Hib vaccine.

The vaccine given (e.g. protection against just Hib, the Hib/MenC vaccine or the 5-in-1 vaccine) will dictate when your child receives each injection.

Typically, the Hiberix single Hib vaccination can be given as a course of one to three doses before the age of 12 months with a booster between 12 and 15 months. An alternative option is to give a single dose from 12 months of age.

The Hib/MenC vaccine is given in two doses in the first year of life, followed by a booster dose after 12 months. Again, an alternative option is to give a single dose from 12 months of age.

Once your child has had the recommended number of shots of the Hib vaccine and a booster shot, it shouldn’t need to be repeated.

The only real exception is if your child were to need a bone marrow transplant in the future, in which case a booster shot might be appropriate.

Older children and adults do not usually need the Hib vaccine. However, it may be recommended for previously unvaccinated people with one of the following medical conditions:

  • Sickle cell disease
  • Asplenia (no spleen)
  • HIV infection
  • Antibody and complement deficiency syndromes (rare conditions that affect the body’s ability to fight infections)
  • Cancer requiring treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or bone marrow stem cell transplant

Yes, the Hib vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.

Yes. Under the NHS vaccination schedule, babies have three separate doses of the Hib vaccine – at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age – as part of the combined 6-in-1 vaccine.

A booster dose is also offered when a child is one as part of the combined Hib/MenC booster.

Ingredients of the Hib vaccine

On the tabs below, you will find ingredient information and links to the Patient Information Leaflets for the UK standard vaccines that protect against Hib. Other suitable vaccines may be available for your child based on the clinical need, but this must be discussed during a consultation to ensure you are given the appropriate advice and prescription for your child’s needs.

Name: Menitorix (2-in-1 Hib & Men C vaccine)

Age: Suitable from eight weeks

Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline

Active ingredients: 5 μg Haemophilus type b polysaccharide (polyribosylribitol phosphate) conjugated to 12.5 μg tetanus toxoid as carrier protein, 5 μg Neisseria meningitidis group C (strain C11) polysaccharide conjugated to 5 μg tetanus toxoid as carrier protein

Other ingredients: Powder: Trometamol, Sucrose, Solvent: Sodium Chloride, water for injections

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: Nil

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products? No

Licensed for use in the UK

Menitorix patient information leaflet: Click to view

Name: Infanrix-IPV+Hib (5-in-1 DTaP, IPV & Hib vaccine)

Age: Suitable from age six weeks to three years

Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline

Protects against: Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, IPV & Hib

Active ingredients: Not less than 30IU diphtheria toxoid, not less than 40IU tetanus toxoid, 25μg pertussis toxoid, 25μg filamentous haemagglutinin, 8μg pertactin, 40 D antigen units poliovirus type 1, 8 D antigen units poliovirus type 2, 32 D antigen units poliovirus type 3, 10μg HIB capsular polysaccharide, approximately 25μg conjugated to tetanus toxoid as a carrier protein

Other ingredients: Lactose, sodium chloride, Medium 199 (containing amino acids (including phenylalanine*), mineral salts (including sodium and potassium), vitamins (including para-aminobenzoic acid) and other substances), water for injections

The vaccine may contain traces of formaldehyde, neomycin and polymyxin which are used during the manufacturing process

It contains para-aminobenzoic acid <0.07 nanograms per dose and phenylalanine* 0.036 micrograms per dose

* Phenylalanine may be harmful if you have phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder in which phenylalanine builds up because the body cannot remove it properly.

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: 0.5mg**

** Some manufacturers’ leaflets reference the amount of the aluminium compound (e.g. aluminium hydroxide), whereas we have calculated the amount of elemental aluminium within the compound

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products?: Yes

Licensed for use in the UK

Infanrix-IPV+Hib Patient Information Leaflet: Click to view

Name: Vaxelis (6-in-1 DTaP, Hep B, IPV & Hib vaccine)

Age: Suitable from age six weeks up to 15 months (however, NHS England recommends it for up to 10 years of age for those with incomplete vaccination status)

Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur

Protects against: Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio & Hib

Active ingredients: Each 0.5 mL dose contains not less than 20IU diphtheria toxoid, not less than 40 IU tetanus toxoid, Bordetella pertussis antigens [20 mcg pertussis toxiod (PT), 20 mcg filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), 3 mcg pertactin (PRN), and 5 mcg fimbriae types 2 and 3 (FIM)], 10mcg Hepatitis B surface antigen, Poliovirus (Inactivated) [Type 1 (Mahoney) 40 D antigen units, Type 2 (MEF-1) 8 D antigen units, Type 3 (Saukett) 32 D antigen units], Haemophilus influenzae type B polysaccharide [3 mcg Polyribosylribitol phosphate, 50mcg conjugated to meningococcal protein]

Other ingredients: Sodium phosphate, water for injections

* Aluminium phosphate and amorphus aluminium hydroxyphosphate sulphate are included in the vaccine as adjuvants. The vaccine may also contain traces of glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, neomycin, streptomycin, polymyxin B, and bovine serum albumin

Mercury content: Nil

Aluminium content: 0.32mg*

* Some manufacturers’ leaflets reference the amount of the aluminium compound (e.g. aluminium hydroxide), whereas we have calculated the amount of elemental aluminium within the compound

Contains porcine gelatin?: No

Contains dairy products?: No

Licensed for use in the UK

Vaxelis Patient Information Leaflet: Click to view

Aftercare

We’ll give you detailed aftercare advice for your child after their vaccination(s), including what to do in the event of any side effects.

Your child may experience some redness, tenderness and/or swelling at the injection site, so it’s helpful to expect this. These side effects should self-resolve within a few days.

You can download our Patient Aftercare leaflet here.

If your child is unwell outside of clinic hours, please call 111 for advice or go to A&E if they need urgent medical attention.

Individual advice about the Hib vaccination

Need advice about whether your child should have the Hib vaccine? The BabyJabs team is here to listen and answer your questions to help you decide.