An Introduction to Dosing With ActHIB
There is only one standard dosage for
ActHIB® (
Hib vaccine). However, the exact schedule and the number of doses necessary may vary, depending on the age of the child when the vaccination is first given.
Recommended ActHIB Vaccination Schedule
According to the prescribing information for ActHIB, the ideal, standard dosage is four doses (0.5 mL each, injected into the upper arm or thigh muscle) at 2, 4, 6, and 15 to 18 months of age. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that the last ActHIB dose (the "booster" dose) be given at 12 to 15 months of age, not 15 to 18 months of age.
For a while, there was a shortage of
Hib vaccines, including ActHIB, and the last dose (the "booster") was temporarily postponed for all children. As of June 2009, however, the shortage has been resolved and the booster is now recommended. Children who missed the booster due to the shortage can receive the ActHIB dosage at any time, up to five years of age.
Delayed ActHIB Vaccine Schedules
If your child is seven months or older when he or she received the first dose of ActHIB, the full four-dose series is not necessary. For children receiving the first dose at age 7 to 11 months, only three doses are recommended, with eight weeks between the first two doses and the last dose at 15 to 18 months of age. For children receiving the first dose at age 12 to 14 months, only two doses are needed, with two months between the doses.
