Measles and Typhoid Co-Vaccinations Confirmed Safe

New data recently highlighted by GAVI found the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) elicits a strong immune response among children and does not interfere with measles-rubella (MR) vaccine when given at the same time.

This immune response data were nested within a vaccine efficacy study published in 2021, which demonstrated that TCV has 84% efficacy in reducing typhoid among children and may last for at least three years.

Among infants who received TCV with MR vaccine, 99% achieved protective levels of antibody in their blood 28 days post-vaccination, and 68% maintained this protection for 2-3 years.

This data shows that TCV and MR vaccines do not interfere with each other and can therefore be given at the same time.

The recent study results provide even more evidence that TCV offers lifesaving protection to African children.

The study results from Malawi are compatible with those from other TCV immunogenicity studies in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Burkina Faso, which also found that TCV can be safely co-administered with other routine vaccines.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends prioritization of routine TCV immunization among all children younger than 12 months of age in areas with a high burden of typhoid and/or drug-resistant typhoid.

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria. 

Worldwide, typhoid fever affects an estimated 11 to 21 million people.

And in the USA, about 350 people are diagnosed with typhoid fever each year.

And the U.S. CDC recommends vaccination for people traveling to places where typhoid fever is common, such as South Asia, especially India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh.

There are two typhoid fever vaccines available in the USA:

• Oral vaccine: Can be given to people at least 6 years old. It consists of four pills taken every other day and should be finished at least 1 week before travel.
• Injectable vaccine: Can be given to people at least 2 years old and should be given at least 2 weeks before travel.

However, Typhoid vaccines lose effectiveness over time.

The injectable vaccine requires a booster every 2 years, and the oral vaccine requires a booster every 5 years.

If you were vaccinated in the past, ask your doctor or pharmacist if it is time for a booster vaccination before visiting to at-risk areas.

Moreover, taking antibiotics will not prevent typhoid fever; they only help treat it, says the CDC. People who do not get appropriate antibiotic treatment may have fever for weeks or months and may develop other health problems. 

Additional travel disease vaccine information is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.com.