Public health round-up

WHO has prequalified the first conjugate vaccine to prevent typhoid fever. The vaccine is Typbar-TCV® developed by Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech. The vaccine confers long-lasting immunity, requires only one dose and can be given to children as young as six months through routine childhood immunization programmes. Other typhoid vaccines are recommended for children over 2 years of age. Prequalification by WHO means that the vaccine meets standards of quality, safety and efficacy, thus making it eligible for procurement by the United Nations Children’s Fund and other United Nations agencies. A conjugate vaccine is one that is composed of a polysaccharide antigen that is fused to a carrier molecule. In October 2017, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunization, which advises WHO, recommended typhoid conjugate vaccine for routine use in children over six months of age in typhoid endemic countries. SAGE also called for the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccine to be prioritized for countries with the highest burden of typhoid disease or of antibiotic resistance to Salmonella typhi, the bacterium that causes the disease. Use of the vaccine should also help to curb the frequent use of antibiotics for treatment of presumed typhoid fever, and thus help slow the increase in antibiotic resistance in Salmonella typhi. Shortly after SAGE’s recommendation, the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance approved US$ 85 million funding to support the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines in eligible countries in 2019–2020. bit.ly/2mmrDo4