Unlike existing vaccines, Vi-TT could be used to protect very young children. Children are disproportionately affected by typhoid, but the currently licensed vaccines are not effective in young children.

Typhoid is a bacterial disease associated with inadequate sanitation and contaminated drinking water. It can cause prolonged fever, fatigue, and severe stomach pain, among other symptoms.

For the first time, we will be able to offer protection to children under two years of age, which will enable us to stem the tide of the disease in the countries where it claims the most lives.

The disease affects between 12.5 and 20.6 million people worldwide every year and kills approximately 200,000, mainly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The vaccine prevented more than half of typhoid fever cases in the study, and is likely to prevent more cases in areas of the world where typhoid is prevalent. Typhoid is usually treated with antibiotics, but antibiotic resistance is increasing, leading to a growing need for an effective vaccine.

Read the full article on the new typhoid vaccine at Wellcome