Overview
- Eight-year-old Liam Dahlberg, fully vaccinated against Hib, developed meningitis and died within 24 hours of symptom onset in April.
- Dr. Eric Yancy says Liam likely contracted the rare invasive Hib strain from an unvaccinated carrier amid falling immunization coverage.
- Since its 1985 introduction, the Hib vaccine has reduced US infection rates by over 99 percent, though recent drops in uptake have raised outbreak concerns.
- Ashlee Dahlberg’s Change.org petition calls on Indiana lawmakers to eliminate religious exemptions from school vaccine mandates.
- Health experts warn that Hib’s ability to spread through respiratory droplets and asymptomatic carriage makes near-universal vaccination essential to prevent fatal cases.