{"id":42163,"date":"2026-04-05T19:36:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T19:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=42163"},"modified":"2026-04-05T19:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T19:36:27","slug":"deadly-disease-is-coming-back-doctors-say-they-havent-seen-it-for-years-and-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=42163","title":{"rendered":"Deadly disease is coming back \u2014 doctors say they haven&#8217;t seen it for \u2018years and years\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A deadly vaccine-preventable disease is making a comeback.<\/p>\n<p>A highly contagious and fast-moving infection that primarily affects children under five years of age is back, as fewer babies get vaccinated year after year.<\/p>\n<p>And doctors who have been trained in the past 40 years have never seen a case before.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"38998760\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<figcaption>As vaccinations rates among children have been on the decline, one deadly disease could be making a comeback. <span class=\"credit\">littlewolf1989 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prior to a vaccine being readily available, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/hi-disease\/vaccines\/types.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nearly 20,000 children<\/a> were affected by the illness, resulting in permanent brain damage and 1,000 deaths per year, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n<p>While a vaccine was eventually created in 1987, the CDC reported last week that the percentage of babies who received a full series of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/75\/wr\/mm7511a2.htm\">Haemophilus influenzae type b shots<\/a> fell slightly from 78.8% to 77.6% between 2019 and 2021.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Despite the name, Haemophilus influenzae bacteria, also known as Hib, isn\u2019t the same flu that circulates every winter.<\/p>\n<p>Rather, they\u2019re bacteria that live in the nose and throat, and can be spread by coughs or sneezes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/hi-disease\/about\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">causing several types of infections<\/a>, both mild and serious.<\/p>\n<p>These can range from mild ear infections and bronchitis, to more severe pneumonia, bloodstream infections, meningitis, epiglottitis (swelling of the throat), cellulitis (skin infection) and infectious arthritis (swelling of a joint).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"38998759\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"38998759\" width=\"590\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Child held by mother while receiving a vaccination.\" class=\"wp-image-38998759\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 4500w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=150,150&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 150w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=300,300&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=768,768&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=1024,1024&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=1536,1536&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=2048,2048&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=600,600&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=589,589&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 589w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=496,496&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 496w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=576,576&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 576w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=440,440&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 440w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=282,282&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 282w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=180,180&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 180w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=71,71&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 71w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=40,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 40w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=70,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 70w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=54,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 54w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=200,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=231,231&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=322,322&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=441,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 441w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=60,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 60w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=80,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 80w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=1200,1200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=58,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 58w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=156,156&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 156w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=50,50&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/child-beeing-vaccinated-pediatrician-presence-125068580.jpg?resize=96,96&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\"\/><figcaption>Haemophilus influenzae bacteria, also known as Hib, can cause a variety of infections, from mild to severe and deadly. <span class=\"credit\">kasto \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since several types of infections can occur, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/hi-disease\/symptoms\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">symptoms can depend<\/a> on the part of the body affected and include a wide range of symptoms such as fever, chills, sweating, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, shortness of breath, vomiting and more.<\/p>\n<p>As more parents make the decision not to vaccinate their kids and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/12\/12\/us-news\/florida-moves-forward-to-roll-back-certain-vaccine-mandates-for-schoolchildren\/\">states roll back vaccine mandates<\/a> for schoolchildren, experts warn Hib could be the next breakout preventable disease, especially as doctors are treating more patients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d never seen a case of Hib for years and years,\u201d Dr. Eehab Kenawy, a pediatrician in Florida, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/health-news\/bacterial-disease-hib-doctors-warn-rising-vaccination-rates-drop-rcna265851\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC<\/a>. \u201cNow I\u2019m hearing about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>The decline in vaccinations alongside the rise in cases has doctors adding Hib to potential causes beyond the usual suspects when children come into their waiting rooms with the typical signs of a bacterial infection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to start thinking about these things as a differential diagnosis in our workup,\u201d Kenawy said. \u201cIt puts us in a situation where we may have to do more close observation, possibly more admissions, maybe some unnecessary workup at times. It\u2019s the changing world of medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As of March 21, the CDC had logged eight cases so far this year: two in Ohio, two in New York and one case each in Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>Three to four Hib shots (depending on which brand they get) are recommended for all kids under age 5 by the agency.<\/p>\n<p>Studies have shown the full series is at least 93% effective in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/hi-disease\/vaccines\/types.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a0preventing the bacterial illness<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not just Hib vaccines that are on the decline, though, as <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/08\/01\/health\/us-childhood-vaccination-rates-fall-again-as-exemptions-set-new-record\/\">vaccination rates continue to drop<\/a> across the nation for several diseases, including measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and polio.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/05\/health\/deadly-disease-is-coming-back-doctors-say-they-havent-seen-it-for-years-and-years\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A deadly vaccine-preventable disease is making a comeback. A highly contagious and fast-moving infection that primarily affects children under five years of age is back, as&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}