Though typhoid has been eliminated in high income settings, it continues to sicken children in resource-constrained settings. More than 7 million cases and more than 93,000 deaths continue to occur each year in endemic areas, predominantly in children younger than 15 years old.
Burkina Faso is estimated to have one of the highest typhoid rates in Africa. In 2021, the Global Burden of Disease study estimated there to be more than 97,000 cases (428 cases per 100,000), 75 percent of which occur in children younger than 15 years old. Typhoid recovery is long and difficult, forcing children to miss school for weeks and is often economically catastrophic for families.
Vaccines arrive in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso has taken an important and strategic step forward to protect its children from typhoid with the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs). TCVs are safe and effective at preventing typhoid in children as young as 6 months old for at least four years.
The campaign aims to vaccinate more than 10 million children with TCV during a 7-day nationwide campaign. Children 9 months to 14 years old are eligible to receive TCV at fixed and outreach vaccination sites. Special care is being taken to ensure all eligible children can receive TCV during the campaign, including in hard-to-reach areas. Following the conclusion of the campaign, all children will be able to receive TCV at their 9-month visit for routine vaccination.
Burkina Faso’s TCV introduction is expected to decrease typhoid cases, ultimately keeping children typhoid-free, reducing health care costs associated with treating cases, and freeing up resources for other health priorities. Burkina Faso joins multiple other countries that have introduced TCV and may lead the way for other countries in the region considering TCV as part of their typhoid prevention and control strategies.
A child receives TCV during Burkina Faso's introduction campaign. Photo: PATH/Build Africa Communications.
PATH supports Burkina Faso’s typhoid prevention efforts
PATH is proud to have partnered with Burkina Faso’s Expanded Programme on Immunization, World Health Organization, and other partners throughout their TCV decision-making and introduction process. PATH, as part of the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium, supports typhoid-endemic countries interested in TCV introduction that are eligible for support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Typhoid is difficult to diagnose due to symptoms common to many other endemic diseases and the availability of blood cultures, the standard test for typhoid, is scarce in some areas. This can make it challenging for countries to know their burden of disease. PATH supported data triangulation to get a clearer understanding of Burkina Faso’s typhoid disease burden, including key risk factor data like drug resistance and water, sanitation, and hygiene indicators. Following Burkina Faso’s decision to introduce TCV, PATH assisted with the application for Gavi support.
PATH has continued to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and other partners to support TCV campaign planning, from microplanning workshops to ensure all eligible children are identified in preparatory documentation, to advocacy, communications, and social mobilization activities, media training, orientation meetings for key stakeholders including political, religious, and administrative authorities, and campaign launch and supervision. Campaign supervision is an important area of support to quickly address challenges and ensure as many children as possible are reached with TCV. It is exciting to see all the preparation and collaboration come together, resulting in millions of children being protected from typhoid as a result of this immunization campaign.
A health care worker prepares a dose of TCV for administration in Burkina Faso. Photo: PATH/Build Africa Communications.
Getting vaccines to those who need them most
No child should die from a vaccine preventable disease. Burkina Faso’s TCV introduction will help decrease typhoid illness, slow drug resistance, and most importantly, save lives. It is a monumental investment in the children of Burkina Faso and the West Africa region. In combination with longer-term improvements to water and sanitation infrastructure, TCV can help typhoid become a disease of the past in Burkina Faso.
