MRC study finds vaccine eliminates HIB disease in the Gambia

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http://www.mrc.ac.uk/NewsViewsAndEvents/News/MRC001867

Medical Research Council (MRC) study results, announced online today in The

Lancet, illustrate that a routine immunisation programme in The Gambia has

been successful at eliminating the incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type

b (Hib) disease.

Hib disease has been shown to be an important cause of childhood meningitis

and a major cause of bacterial pneumonia in children. Hib is estimated to

cause at least 3 million cases of serious disease and hundreds of thousands

of deaths annually, worldwide. The Gambian Expanded Programme for

Immunisation (EPI) was one of the first programmes in Africa to introduce

routine Hib vaccination, giving children three doses of the vaccine at two,

three and four months old.

During a five-year surveillance study, the MRC research team monitored the

use of Hib vaccination in the Western Region of The Gambia, where 60% of the

total population live. The team looked at the vaccine's effect on Hib

disease from the start of routine use of the vaccine in May 1997 until April

2002.

Their observations illustrated that after the introduction of routine Hib

immunization, the annual incidence rate of meningitis in infants in The

Gambia dropped sharply from over 200 per 100,000 to 21 per 100,000 in the

first two years of vaccination. The incidence then declined further to 0 per

100,000 in the fifth year after the introduction of routine immunisation.

Dr. Adegbola of the MRC led the study. He said: " Hib disease has

been eliminated in developed countries for two decades, but many developing

countries are still reluctant to introduce routine vaccination due to the

lack of available information on how effective it is, especially when

vaccine supplies might be erratic.

" Our study shows that despite an erratic vaccine supply, elimination of Hib

disease is possible. We hope other countries in sub-Saharan Africa will now

be encouraged to also adopt routine Hib vaccination programmes. "

Financial support for the study was received from WHO. Sanofi Pasteur

donated the Hib vaccines to The Gambian government for the five year period.

UK press should contact the MRC Press Office on 020 7637 6011 for further

information or to arrange an interview. Please note that Professor

Adegbola is only available for interview on Monday 27th June and the morning

of Tuesday 28th. Gambian press should contact DaCosta, Head of

Communcations and Media Relations at the MRC Laboratories, the Gambia, 00

220 4496231Note to Editors

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the

UK tax-payer. Its business is medical research aimed at improving human

health; everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it

supports and the scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services,

the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and the academic

world. MRC has funded work which has led to some of the most significant

discoveries and achievements in medicine in the UK. About half of the MRC's

expenditure of £500 million is invested in its 40 Institutes, Units and

Centres. The remaining half goes in the form of grant support and training

awards to individuals and teams in universities and medical schools.