Leaders in Fight Against Typhoid Express Hope in Light of New Vaccines

- Widespread and growing antibiotic resistance a concern

BANGKOK, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition against Typhoid (CaT), an initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, will convene scientists, researchers and biotech experts this week at the Vaccines for Enteric Diseases (VED) Conference to discuss how a highly anticipated conjugate typhoid vaccine could expedite global efforts to help prevent this disease. For the first time, children as young as six months of age can be protected against typhoid with a vaccine. Both adults and children will receive high levels of long lasting protection.

"Vaccines are a cost-effective, safe and immediate way to protect the world's most marginalized people suffering from typhoid," said Dr. Naveen Thacker, Director at Deep Children Hospital and Research Centre, India and President Elect of the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association. "The conjugate vaccine is a milestone in typhoid prevention and provides an enhanced ability to improve the lives of school children, adults and especially young children, who have the highest burden of disease."

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued recommendations supporting the use of typhoid vaccines more than a decade ago, yet many endemic countries have yet to embrace them.

Increased attention on typhoid comes amidst news that this disease is highly endemic in Asia and, increasingly, sub-Saharan Africa. Extensive resistance to antibiotics to treat typhoid has also endangered people, but new data on the burden and geographic distribution of drug resistance is emerging.

"The emergence of drug resistant typhoid strains such as H58 is alarming and has already caused a global upsurge in the disease," said Dr. Gordon Dougan, Head of Pathogens and Representative of the Board of Management at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the United Kingdom. "Mapping the distribution of drug resistance will be critical to help countries control typhoid and assure patients get appropriate care and don't suffer unnecessarily."

According to the WHO, typhoid impacts an estimated 21 million people and causes more than 216,000 deaths annually, mostly among preschool and school-age children. WHO reports that 90 percent of typhoid deaths occur in Asia. However, new evidence reveals hyper-endemic and epidemic typhoid in Africa.

"To have the greatest impact, typhoid vaccination efforts must be integrated with other intervention strategies such as clinical care and safe water and basic sanitation," said Dr. Samir Saha from the Bangladesh Institute of Child Health at the Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Bangladesh. "But in Asia, a region where typhoid is highly endemic, China, Thailand and Vietnam are the only countries to have done this."

Ultimately, typhoid can be largely eliminated through improved water and sanitation systems. However, the development of such infrastructure requires significant capital investments beyond the near-term reach of most countries in the region. Until this can happen, safe, effective and affordable vaccines should be utilized together with timely access to appropriate clinical care.

Panelists of the VED Conference's Session on Typhoid Vaccines come from India, Republic of Korea, United States and United Kingdom. Their presentations will emphasize that building general awareness, increasing understanding of the disease burden, prioritizing vaccines, and developing and implementing long-term strategies will help overcome many of today's challenges in typhoid prevention and control.

About The Coalition against Typhoid (CaT)
The Coalition against Typhoid (CaT) is a global forum of health and immunization experts working to expedite and sustain rational, evidence-based decisions at the global, regional, national and municipal levels regarding the use of typhoid vaccines to prevent childhood enteric fever.  CaT also works to define barriers to the adoption of typhoid vaccines in communities that would benefit most and the key activities that are needed to overcome them. The Sabin Vaccine Institute serves as the CaT Secretariat and is supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  The CaT objectives are accomplished through the activities of its membership.  For more information please visit www.COALITIONagainstTYPHOID.ORG and www.TyphoidConference.org.

About The Sabin Vaccine Institute
The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization of scientists, researchers and advocates dedicated to reducing needless human suffering from vaccine-preventable and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Since its founding in 1993 in honor of Dr. Albert B. Sabin, the developer of the oral polio vaccine, Sabin has been at the forefront of global efforts to eliminate, prevent and cure infectious and neglected tropical diseases.

Sabin develops new vaccines, advocates for increased use of existing vaccines and promotes expanded access to affordable medical treatments in collaboration with governments, academic institutions, scientists, medical professionals and other non-profit organizations. For more information please visit www.sabin.org.