The Efficacy in Navajo Infants of a Conjugate Vaccine Consisting of Haemophilus influenzae Type b Polysaccharide and Neisseria meningitidis Outer-Membrane Protein Complex

HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE type b is the leading cause of meningitis and other serious infections in children. 1 2 3 The attack rates of this disease among certain Native American populations, such as Alaskan Eskimos, Navajos, and Apaches, are 5 to 10 times higher than those in the general U.S. population. 4 5 6 Moreover, approximately 40 percent of the cases in these populations occur before the age of six months. Recently, an H. influenzae conjugate vaccine was produced by covalently linking H. influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide to portions of the outer-membrane protein complex (OMPC) of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B 7 (PedvaxHIB, Merck Sharp and Dohme Research . . .