What does Pakistan’s typhoid outbreak tell us?

  • Pakistan is facing world’s largest extremely drug resistant (XDR) typhoid outbreak. More than 5,000 cases were reported from Hyderabad and Karachi in the first phase.
  • Some 11 cases were reported in 2016, 730 in 2017 and 4,533 cases in 2018.
  • The intensity was initially high at Hyderabad, but due to mass vaccination with a new WHO-prequalified conjugate vaccine, it was managed much better. Karachi, the nearest metropolitan centre, is facing a far more intense outbreak right now and needs immediate treatment and preventive measures.