If someone shows up in a healthcare center with fever in many parts of Africa or Asia, typhoid is one of the possibilities that the healthcare provider must consider. This is because typhoid affects over 10 million people annually and it can be fatal if treatment is delayed. As part of strategies to curb this disease, the WHO recently endorsed addition of a typhoid conjugate vaccine (Typbar-TCV®) to routine vaccination schedule, and many countries are now evaluating how to include it in their national programs. This highly effective vaccine can be given to children as young as 6 months old.
The investigators in this study present more evidence in support of Typbar-TCV®. In their analyses, incorporation of Typbar-TCV® into routine child vaccine schedules and conducting a catch-up campaign to vaccinate all children up to age 15 years was cost-effective in settings with high rates of typhoid. Controlling typhoid will also require improvements in the infrastructure for clean water, sanitation and hygiene since typhoid is spread through contaminated water or food.
