Introducing Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine in South Asia: Lessons from the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project

Abstract

Enteric fever remains a public health concern in communities lacking sanitation infrastructure to separate sewage from drinking water. To bridge the gap until large-scale civil-engineering projects are implemented in high-burden countries, typhoid conjugate vaccine presents a promising disease-prevention technology. A new typhoid conjugate vaccine was prequalified by the World Health Organization in 2017 and is beginning to be introduced in countries around the world. To help inform vaccine introduction, the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project (SEAP) conducts prospective enteric fever surveillance in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. This supplement presents findings from Phase II of the study (2016-2019) on burden of disease, clinical presentation, the growing spread of drug-resistant strains, and policy and economic ramifications. These findings are delivered to support policymakers in their deliberations on strategies to introduce typhoid conjugate vaccine as a preventive tool against enteric fever.