Bangladesh launches typhoid vaccination drive to combat drug-resistant threat

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DHAKA (Reuters) -Bangladesh launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Sunday to protect millions of children from typhoid, a deadly and increasingly drug-resistant disease that poses a growing public health threat.

The month-long campaign aims to immunize around 50 million children aged between nine months and 15 years with a single dose of the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV). Approved and pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), the vaccine provides protection for up to five years and is being administered free under the government’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).

The vaccination push comes amid rising concerns over drug-resistant typhoid strains across South Asia. Since 2016, Pakistan has battled an outbreak resistant to nearly all antibiotics except one.

Bangladeshi health workers are vaccinating children through schools, community clinics and door-to-door visits, with special attention to urban slums and remote rural areas. The drive will continue until November 13, after which TCV will be included in Bangladesh’s routine immunization schedule.

TROUBLING SIGNS OF RESISTANCE 

Typhoid is caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria and spreads through contaminated food and water. It causes fever, nausea, stomach pains and pink spots on the chest, and in severe cases can lead to complications in the gut and head that can be fatal.

Bangladeshi researchers have recently detected ceftriaxone-resistant strains — a troubling sign, as ceftriaxone remains one of the few effective treatments available.

Health experts warn that without urgent preventive measures, resistant strains could make typhoid much harder to treat. Supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the TCV campaign is expected to reduce infections and slow the spread of resistance.

Inaugurating the campaign, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said it was “shameful” that children still die from typhoid in Bangladesh. She expressed confidence that the South Asian country will overcome typhoid just as it has controlled diarrhea and night blindness.

Officials cited the vaccine’s strong safety record in countries like Pakistan and Nepal, and in India’s Mumbai, where no major side effects were reported. Developed by the Serum Institute of India, the doses were supplied through Gavi.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by David Holmes)