Pakistan to be the first country to routinely use first typhoid conjugate vaccine

Pakistan today became the first country to introduce the world’s first typhoid conjugate vaccine into its regular immunization schedule. The vaccine, known as Typbar TCV and manufactured by India-based Bharat Biotech, offers long-term protection against the disease and can be given to babies as young as 6 months old. Pakistani children are hit especially hard by the disease, which causes a host of symptoms including a fever and a rash — in 2017, 63% of cases and 70% of deaths from typhoid were in those under 15. Today’s launch will begin with a two-week campaign to distribute the vaccine to 10 million children in one of the major provinces in the country. Other provinces will slowly be incorporated into the campaign before routine immunization becomes a national strategy in 2021.