Health Advice

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Head Lice – Help!!!

Every parent’s heart sinks when they receive the dreaded note from school warning about head lice. Don’t worry – Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy in Donabate is here to to give us advice and tips. The first thing to do is to check the child’s head. You will need some tea tree conditioner, a... Read more >

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Are You SunSmart?

We ask Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy Donabate how to make the most of great sunny summer days whilst protecting our skin from harmful rays. Jane says “The Irish Cancer Society SunSmart program has great guidelines to keep us safe. See below for some useful tips and advice” Ways to protect your skin: Shade... Read more >

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Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes

Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes… Talk to Jane Brennan, your Hay Fever Expert in Donabate Are your eyes itchy, red or watery? Is your throat scratchy? Are you sneezing? Do you have itchy ears, nose or mouth? Do you have a blocked or runny nose? Do you wake up feeling exhausted? Hay fever can cause... Read more >

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Life Pharmacy Ireland – Live Better

Bringing you the best health advice for your family

NHS Choices - Introduction

(28/07/2014)

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is a bacterium that can cause a number of serious illnesses, especially in young children.

Hib infections used to be a serious health problem in the UK, but the routine immunisation against Hib in infants since 1992 means these infections are now rare.

Of the small number of cases that do occur nowadays, most affect adults with long-term (chronic) underlying medical conditions, rather than young children.

What problems can it cause?

Hib bacteria can cause several serious infections, including:

Many of the children who get Hib infections become very ill and need treatment with antibiotics in hospital.

Meningitis is the most severe illness caused by Hib and, even with treatment, one in every 20 children with Hib meningitis will die. Of those who do survive, many will have long-term problems such as hearing loss, seizures and learning disabilities.

How is Hib spread?

Hib bacteria can live in the nose and throat of healthy people and usually do not cause any symptoms.

The bacteria are usually spread in a similar way to cold and flu viruses – through the droplets of fluid in the coughs and sneezes. The bacteria can be spread by healthy people who carry the bacteria, as well as those who are ill with a Hib infection.

Inhaling these infected droplets, or transferring them into your mouth from a contaminated surface, can allow the bacteria to spread further into your body and cause one of the infections mentioned above.

Hib vaccination

Vaccinating children against Hib has been very successful in cutting rates of Hib infections. From more than 800 confirmed cases a year in England in the early 1990s, the number of Hib infections has now fallen to fewer than 20 cases a year.

The Hib vaccine is offered to babies as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme

Babies have three separate doses of Hib vaccine – at two, three and four months of age – as part of the combined 5-in-1 vaccination.

A booster dose is also offered at 12-13 months as part of the combined Hib/MenC booster, to provide longer-term protection.

Read more about the NHS vaccination schedule.