Natural immunity to Haemophilus influenzae type B in children of Ankara, Turkey

Background : Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection has a high morbidity and mortality rate especially in children under 5 years of age. The incidence of Hib disease in Turkey is not known, and Hib vaccine is not included in the National Immunization Program. The aim of this study was to dete...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics international 2004-06, Vol.46 (3), p.280-284
Main Authors: Ocaktan, Esin, Özyurda, Ferda, Akar, Nejat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
anti-PRP antibody
Antibodies, Bacterial - analysis
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Haemophilus Infections - epidemiology
Haemophilus Infections - immunology
Haemophilus influenzae
Haemophilus influenzae type b
Haemophilus influenzae type b - immunology
Haemophilus Vaccines
Humans
Immunity, Innate
Incidence
Infant
Male
natural immunity
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Turkey - epidemiology
Vaccination
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Summary:Background : Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection has a high morbidity and mortality rate especially in children under 5 years of age. The incidence of Hib disease in Turkey is not known, and Hib vaccine is not included in the National Immunization Program. The aim of this study was to determine the natural immunity to Hib of children 6−60 months of age living in the Park Health Center region of Ankara, Turkey. Methods : A total of 270 children were selected by layered random sampling method, and 242 of them (89.6%) participated in the study. A questionnaire was given to the parents of the children who were included in the study and blood samples were taken from those children. Anti‐Hib IgG antibody (anti‐PRP) level was determined in the serum by using anti‐Haemophilus influenzae IgG EIA kit and anti‐PRP antibody levels of 0.15 µg/mL and over were accepted as the natural immunity. Results : Natural immunity was determined in 65.3% of the children. A relationship was determined statistically between the history of disease with possible Hib agent and with natural immunity. Conclusions : The exposure rate of children with Hib was higher than expected, even in children who were just a few months old. Our data revealed that multicentric, national studies should be done to define the burden of Hib disease before making a decision for Hib vaccine to be included in the National Immunization Program.
ISSN:1328-8067
1442-200X
DOI:10.1111/j.1442-200x.2004.01888.x