The year 2018 was full of monumental milestones and 2019 a year to celebrate. In spite of COVID, 2020 and 2021 brought great strides to the typhoid field. As we say goodbye to 2022 and look forward to 2023, we are thankful that more than 50 million children in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia are vaccinated against typhoid.
Typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) have been introduced in Pakistan, Nepal, Liberia, Zimbabwe, and Samoa. Kenya and Bangladesh submitted applications to Gavi in September 2022 and Malawi is planning an April campaign. On top of all this, we expect more Gavi applications in 2023. Yet this is not enough!
While progress is steady and momentum strong, the battle against typhoid continues. In many low- and middle-income countries, children continue to suffer—needlessly—from a vaccine-preventable disease. Amidst climate change and a growing number of extreme weather events, increasing drug resistance, missed routine vaccinations, and a global pandemic, the time is ripe for TCV introduction.
We have two safe and effective World Health Organization-prequalified vaccines and more on the way. We have countries in Africa, Asia, and Oceania that have conducted successful TCV campaigns and transitioned to routine immunization. We have generated essential new data to bolster decision-making. We have lessons learned and knowledge to share. In an interconnected world where pathogens know no borders and water and sanitation infrastructure is often lacking, our work is far from finished. The need to control typhoid and protect as many children as possible is as strong as ever.
TyVAC, the Coalition against Typhoid, and its partners continue to expand and build on developments in the field while addressing critical challenges that remain. This year we saw the first regional typhoid meetings in Africa and Asia, which provided a forum to discuss the rationale for TCV introduction, share experiences, expand networks, translate evidence to support decision-making, engage national stakeholders, and move toward sustainable typhoid programs. We have worked collectively to apply our extensive experience with in-country research, policy, and operations, as well as in-depth communications and vaccine introduction expertise, and a cohesive, collaborative approach to build capacity, accelerate TCV introduction, and take on typhoid. We envision a world where typhoid is a disease of the past.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year.
