Kenya has rolled out a massive typhoid vaccination campaign which kicked off on July 5 and concludes on July 14 as other East African community bloc members carefully watch.
Meanwhile, the Global Burden of Disease study also classifies Rwanda as a typhoid-endemic country with more than 12,000 cases per year.
The vaccination is targeting children aged 9 months to 14 years that are being administered the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV).
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said it aims for an 80% TCV coverage to effectively protect children from this disease.
It added that the TCV is being considered to become a routine immunisation schedule for infants at 9 months old.
According to health experts, the Typhoid vaccines are available in two main forms: an injectable, inactivated (killed) vaccine and an oral, live, attenuated (weakened) vaccine.
Both types offer protection against typhoid fever, but neither provides 100% immunity, so it’s crucial to maintain safe food and water practices even after vaccination.
Typhoid fever is a systemic infection caused by Salmonella Typhi, usually through ingestion of contaminated food or water.
The acute illness is characterized by prolonged fever, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and constipation or sometimes diarrhoea.
Symptoms are often non-specific and clinically non-distinguishable from other febrile illnesses.
According to World Health Organisation, an estimated 9 million cases and 110 000 typhoid-related deaths occur annually worldwide.
The WHO recommends three typhoid vaccines including;
An injectable typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), consisting of Vi polysaccharide antigen linked to a carrier protein licensed for children from 6 months of age and adults up to 45 years or 65 years of age (depending on the specific vaccine);
An injectable unconjugated polysaccharide vaccine based on the purified Vi antigen (known as Vi-PS vaccine) for persons aged two years and above; and
An oral live attenuated Ty21a vaccine in capsule formulation for those over six years of age.
