Typhoid vaccination campaign from 18th

Islamabad : Pakistan is all set to launch the World Health Organisation (WHO) pre-qualified typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) campaign in Sindh from November 18-30, leading towards countrywide outreach and ultimately routine immunisation.

The campaign will mark the start of a phased national introduction. After Sindh, which is the center of an ongoing extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid outbreak, the vaccine will be introduced in Punjab next year and then nationally in 2021.

Typhoid, a serious illness caused by Salmonella Typhi, is spread through contaminated food and water. Prevention through vaccination is one of the most effective solutions to reduce the burden of typhoid in endemic areas. In addition, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) solutions should be promoted alongside the introduction of TCV introduction, which is a safe and effective vaccine prequalified and recommended by WHO.

TCV is a one-dose vaccine, injected intramuscularly, that is expected to provide longlasting immunity in adults, children, and infants six months of age and older. WHO has recommended TCV vaccine for use in all typhoid-endemic countries because of its higher efficacy compared to previously used typhoid vaccines.

More than 15,000 people have been affected in the current outbreak, the first-ever reported outbreak of ceftriaxone-resistant typhoid.