Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

A single dose of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) offers safe, effective protection against typhoid two years after vaccination in all children, and sustained protection for older children at three to five years post immunisation, according to a report by researchers at the Oxford Vaccine Group and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). But it also shows a decline in protection at the later timepoints among children vaccinated at younger ages.

A female doctor provides the vaccine to a child © icddr,b

The TyVOID study, published in the Lancet, measured the effectiveness of a single dose TCV in Bangladeshi children over a five-year period and confirmed the high vaccine protection (80-96%) within two years of vaccination in all children.

Three to five years after vaccination, the study found a three-fold increase in typhoid incidence in children who received TCV in 2018/2019 and those who received it in 2021, suggesting a decline in vaccine effectiveness, most pronounced in the very young. The data suggested children vaccinated at two years or older were still well protected (59-85%) at 3-5 years post vaccination however, a more significant decline in protection was seen in children vaccinated at under two years of age, suggesting that a booster dose for these children might be needed for sustained protection.

Xinxue Liu, Associate Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, and one of the senior authors of the study, said: 'Typhoid is a serious and life-threatening enteric fever that remains a substantial public health issue for children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries. TCV offers the best chance to reduce the burden of typhoid, helping to reduce transmission and limiting further evolution of drug-resistant strains. This study provides additional information for policy makers on longer-term TCV protection and the importance of continued investigation and updated guidance.'

 

Read the full story on the University of Oxford website.