Typhoid vaccine highly effective for younger children

    The study also showed the vaccine protects the unvaccinated neighbours of those who received the shot.

    The test was conducted in two wards of an Indian slum with a population of 60,000 people, and was designed to see the effectiveness of the Vi-type vaccine in children aged 2 to 5. The vaccine was 80 percent effective in preventing typhoid fever among children ages 2 to 5. Among unvaccinated neighbors who were in contact with the immunized children, the vaccine offered 44 percent protection.

    "This protection for children under the age of 5 years is important because this age group has been shown to be at high risk for typhoid fever in many areas where the disease is endemic," the researchers said.

    Results of the study were published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.The study was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and coordinated by the Seoul-based International Vaccine Institute.

    Typhoid is a potentially deadly disease that comes from contaminated food and water, and kills 216,000 to 600,000 people worldwide each year. Symptoms of the disease include high fever, weakness and stomach pains, according to Xinhuanet.


Source: www.chinaview.cn