HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE: California Shows Success Of Vaccination Effort

      Findings published in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report show that national efforts to vaccinate children for the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) virus are paying off. The California Department of Health Services, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tracked Hib infections in Los Angeles and the Bay Area from 1990-1996. Researchers found a significant decline in infections over the period, a trend they said matches a national decline -- 95% in children under five between 1989 and 1995. Though Hib infection rates fell, the report notes that the "average annual incidence rates of nontype b HI invasive disease among non-Hispanic black children were higher than for other racial/ethnic groups." Hib infections can cause meningitis, pneumonia, epiglottis and septic arthritis in children ages five and younger (MMWR, 9/11 issue). CDC's MMWR can be accessed online at http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/mmwr_wk.html.