New generation of typhoid vaccines given to first child patient in Africa

A clinical trial has begun on a new generation of typhoid vaccines and, in a major step, the first African child has been vaccinated.

The trial revolves around a typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) and is being run by Professor Melita Gordon of the University of Liverpool, in conjunction with the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust (MLW) Clinical Research Programme. Over the course of the trial, 24,000 Malawian children aged nine months to 12 years are expected to be enrolled and vaccinated.

Currently, 12 million cases of typhoid infection exist and more than 128,000 deaths result every year. It’s a horrific fever that can expand into abdominal pain, jaundice and bleeding or perforation of the bowel. Things have only worsened with the emergence of a multidrug-resistant H58 strain.

“This clinical trial is the culmination of over 20 years of research focused on Salmonella disease here in Malawi,” Gordon said. “Our teams of health workers, our local scientists, and our longstanding partners in the Malawi Ministry of Health and College of Medicine are tremendously excited to see the impact our research could finally have for health. We’re ready to go, and really feel like Africa is watching us, with hope.”

Hope is high for the conjugate vaccine because, according to Myron Levine, associate dean for Global Health, Vaccinology and Infectious Diseases for the University of Maryland School of Medicine, these vaccines have proven highly effective against other diseases so far. They improve immunological response and memory and have been shown to increase vaccine efficacy from 55 percent to 90 percent. The World Health Organization has already prequalified Typbar-TCV and, as a result, the Vaccine Alliance GAVI plans on investing $85 million into its introduction in African countries over 2019 and 2020.

“We are excited and honored to be part of this historical moment – a first for Africa and a critical step in the fight to Take on Typhoid,” said Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, chief investigator of the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium (TyVAC) study and director of the CVD and Institute for Global Health. “Our partners in Malawi have worked tirelessly to prepare for this study that will collect essential data in endemic settings with a high typhoid burden.”

The study is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.