Haemophilus influenza type b vaccine in Israel: experience in a paediatricambulatory clinic

In Israel, vaccinations are the overall responsibility of the government. W e were the first in Israel to give the Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b) v accine to the population, through independent means, without government con trol. The aim of the study was to follow longitudinally the specific group of children vaccinated in our ambulatory clinic. In this study, 1,497 child ren between 2 and 52 [mean (SD) 13 (9)] months of age at the time of first vaccination were vaccinated with Hib vaccine. Over the next 7 years, they w ere followed up by repeated phone calls when parents were asked about hospi talisation and any serious infectious diseases. Of the 1,497, 1,444 were fo llowed during the years 1992 to 1999 and 36 were hospitalised during this t ime. All blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures were negative. No proven ca se of Hib infection could be demonstrated. Despite the small sample size, t his study justifies the continued use of the vaccine along with maintaining surveillance for Hib infection.