Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Aug 1;121(4):e202202805.
doi: 10.5546/aap.2022-02805.eng. Epub 2023 Jan 12.

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease: A report of 14 cases one year after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak

[Article in English, Spanish]
Ximena Juárez  1 , Rebeca Flores Yavi  1 , Romina Balboa  1 , Erika Matteucci  1 , Carmen Burundarena  1 , María F. Causarano  1 , Sandra Miranda  1 , Patricia Dondoglio  1 , Cecilia Echave  1 , Rosana Pereda  2 , Aldo Cancellara  1
Affiliations
Free article
Case Reports

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease: A report of 14 cases one year after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak

[Article in English, Spanish]
Ximena Juárez et al. Arch Argent Pediatr. .
Free article

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) causes invasive disease. There are encapsulated strains, such as serotype b (Hib), and non-typeable strains (NTHi). One year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases increased. In this report we describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of children hospitalized with invasive Hi disease (July 2021-July 2022). There were 14 cases; 12 were previously healthy children. Isolations: Hib (n = 6), Hi serotype a (n = 2), NTHi (n = 5); 1 case was not typified. Median age: 8.5 months (IQR: 4–21). Manifestations: meningitis (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 6), cellulitis (n = 2), arthritis (n = 1). Incomplete Hib immunization was observed in 9 children. Invasive Hi disease increased 2.5 times from previous years. These data suggest the reemergence of Hib due to a decline in vaccination coverage and an increase in other non-b-type Hi serotypes.

El Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) causa enfermedad invasiva (EI). Se distinguen cepas capsuladas, como el serotipo b (Hib), y cepas no tipificables (HNT). Al año de declarada la pandemia por COVID-19, observamos un aumento de casos. Se describen las características clínico-epidemiológicas de niños con EI por Hi internados en el hospital (julio 2021-julio 2022). Hubo 14 casos; 12 previamente sanos. Aislamientos: Hib (n = 6), Hi serotipo a (n = 2), HNT (n = 5), 1 no se tipificó. Mediana de edad: 8,5 meses (RIC 4-21). Manifestaciones: meningitis (n = 5), neumonía (n = 6), celulitis (n = 2), artritis (n = 1). Nueve presentaron vacunación incompleta para Hib. Observamos un incremento de EI por Hi de 2,5 veces respecto a años previos. Estos datos sugieren el resurgimiento de Hib por la caída de las coberturas de vacunación y porque otras cepas de Hi no b están en aumento.

Keywords: meningitis; Haemophilus influenzae type b; epidemiology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources