FRIDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- The combination vaccine Menhibrix has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent two deadly bacterial infections among infants and toddlers -- Neisseria meningitides serogroups C and Y and Haemophilus influenzae type b.

The approval covers youngsters aged 6 weeks through 18 months, the agency said in a news release.

The vaccine's safety and effectiveness were clinically evaluated among 7,500 infants and toddlers in the United States, Mexico, and Australia, the agency said. Common adverse reactions included pain, injection-site redness and swelling, irritability, and fever.

The GlaxoSmithKline vaccine is given as a four-dose series, starting as early as 6 weeks of age, the FDA said.

More information

To learn more about this approval, visit the FDA.