Typhoid Vaccination Efficacious for Four Years

A recent study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation found that a single-dose vaccine against typhoid was efficacious for at least four years among children in all age groups.

The Vi polysaccharide conjugated to tetanus toxoid vaccine's vaccine efficacies by age group were 70·6% (6·4–93·0) for children aged nine months to 2 years; 79·6% (45·8–93·9) for children aged 2–4 years; and 79·3% (63·5–89·0) for children aged 5–12 years.

These phase 3 clinical trial results, published by The Lancet on January 25, 2024, support current World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations in typhoid-endemic areas for mass campaigns among children aged nine months to 15 years, followed by routine introduction in the first two years of life.

An estimated 11–21 million cases of typhoid fever and 5 million cases of paratyphoid fever occur worldwide each year, causing an estimated 135,000–230,000 deaths. The CDC says there are very few typhoid cases in the United States each year.