Coalition Against Typhoid Applauds WHO Prequalification of Typhoid Vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted prequalification for Typhim Vi®, a typhoid Vi polysaccharide vaccine, produced by Sanofi Pasteur. This is a major advancement towards universal access for typhoid vaccines because prequalification by the WHO, will permit UNICEF, other UN agencies and the Pan American Health Organization Revolving Fund to purchase the vaccine. WHO prequalification is also a prerequisite for GAVI Alliance support. With some 200,000 deaths occurring worldwide from typhoid fever each year, and a further 16-33 million people falling ill, use of typhoid vaccines can help contribute to achieving UN Millennium Development Goals. “The use of WHO prequalified typhoid vaccines in appropriate populations of high burden countries is a priority for South Asia, where much of the disease burden is in children under five,” said Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, Head of the Maternal and Child Health Division at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. The burden of typhoid fever is highest...