Millions of Children Will Soon Be Protected from This Deadly Fever

The typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) becomes the latest introduced in Liberia – the first African country to do so – and authorities are planning to vaccinate millions of children.

“Making TCV available to all children means improved health, fewer hospital visits, retained household income, and greater school productivity,” says Adolphus Clarke, Extended Program Immunization Manager at the Ministry of Health. “It also means less pressure on our health services and resources, and a greater chance for all children, families, and communities to reach their full potential.”

In 2019, more than 60% of the 5,800 typhoid fever cases in the country were in citizens aged 15 and younger. A TCV campaign has been set up and in the span of a week, more than 1.9 million children aged 9 months to 15 will receive the vaccine. Afterward, it will be added to the routine immunization program dedicated to kids. Over the last 40 years, Liberia has introduced more than a dozen vaccines, including for polio, measles, pneumonia, yellow fever – and now, typhoid – to protect children and teenagers from preventable and deadly diseases.