Bangladesh on Sunday launched a nationwide vaccination campaign to protect millions of children from typhoid, a deadly and increasingly drug-resistant disease posing a growing threat to public health.
The month-long campaign aims to immunise around 50 million children aged nine months to 15 years with a single dose of the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV). The vaccine, approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), provides up to five years of protection and is being administered free under the government’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
Health workers are reaching children through schools, community clinics, and door-to-door visits, with a focus on urban slums and remote rural areas. The drive runs until 13 November, after which TCV will become part of Bangladesh’s routine immunisation schedule.
Typhoid, caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria, spreads through contaminated food and water. The illness can cause fever, nausea, and abdominal pain, and in severe cases can lead to fatal complications.
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Researchers have recently detected ceftriaxone-resistant typhoid strains in Bangladesh a worrying development, as ceftriaxone is one of the few remaining effective treatments. Health experts warn that resistant strains could make the disease much harder to treat.
Supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the campaign aims to curb infections and slow the spread of resistance.
Inaugurating the drive, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum described it as “shameful” that children still die from typhoid, expressing confidence that Bangladesh will overcome the disease just as it has controlled diarrhoea and night blindness.
The TCV, developed by the Serum Institute of India, has shown strong safety records in countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, and India’s Mumbai, where no major side effects were reported.
