Vaccines’ ability to protect us from disease is the incredible result of centuries of scientific progress. Infectious diseases have plagued humanity from the beginning of time, cutting lives short. But with today’s vaccines, it is possible to imagine a world in which all people, from all countries, enjoy a long and healthy life.
Typhoid has been lurking in water supplies, causing illness and premature deaths for centuries. While it was largely stamped out in the United States and Europe in the 1940s with the advent of antibiotics and improved sanitation—and vaccines for international travelers have been available since the 1980s—typhoid remains a daily threat for millions of people living in low- and middle- income countries. Most of those at highest risk are children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
In 2017, the World Health Organization recommended typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) as the first type of typhoid vaccine that can be given to young children through routine immunization programs in endemic countries. Large-scale TCV efficacy studies in several countries helped pave the way for introduction. And as of April 2022, five countries—Pakistan, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Samoa, and most recently, Nepal—have introduced TCVs in their routine immunization programs.
In the slideshow below, we highlight some of the many people whose lives have been touched by TCVs. Use the arrows to navigate, and help on share on social media by downloading the graphics and using the provided tweet language.
