Haemophilus influenzae - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2015

In 2015, 3 162 confirmed cases of invasive Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae) disease were reported by 30 EU/EEA Member States to ECDC. The notification rate was 0.7 cases per 100 000 population and has steadily increased between 2011 and 2015. Age-specific rates were highest in infants below one year of age (4.5 cases per 100 000 population) and people aged 65 years or older (1.9 cases per 100 000 population). The H. influenzae serotype b (Hib) vaccination has led to a progressive and sustained reduction of serotype b infections. In 2015, 4% of cases with a known serotype were caused by serotype b, 58% of which were aged 25 years and over. Non-capsulated strains caused the majority of cases in all age groups, and 82% of all cases for which serotyping results were available. Serotype f caused 9% of cases overall and 69% of cases among non-b capsulated serotypes (serotypes a, c, d, e and f).