Objective: Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b was introduced in Burkina Faso on 1st January 2006. This study thus sought to determine the impact of the first 30 months of vaccination on admissions for Hib meningitis in the department of pediatrics at the Sourô-Sanou University Hospital in Bobo Dioulasso.
Methods and patients: Retrospective study of children aged zero to 14 years hospitalized from 1st January 2004 to 30th June 2008 for acute bacterial meningitis (laboratory-confirmed).
Results: During the study period, 416 children were admitted for acute bacterial meningitis. The bacterium isolated was identified in 386 cases and unidentified in 30 cases. Hib meningitis accounted for 42.3 % of the cases of identified bacterial meningitis before the introduction of the vaccine (2004 to 2005). This rate declined to 11.8 % for the first 30 months of vaccination (p < 0.001). No cases of Hib meningitis have been reported in the first half of 2008.
Conclusion: Admissions for Hib meningitis in the Department of Pediatrics have practically disappeared two years after the introduction of the Hib vaccine into Burkina Faso's expanded program on immunization.
Keywords: Burkina Faso; Haemophilus influenzae b; Hib vaccine; bacterial meningitis.