SCIENCE / MEDICINE : A New Vaccine for Typhoid

A new penny-a-dose vaccine can largely prevent typhoid fever, one of the world’s most common diseases, without causing side effects that have undermined earlier efforts at controlling the illness, researchers say.

In tests in Nepal, the vaccine was 75% effective in stopping the disease, a major cause of fever and death in many parts of the world. According to one estimate, the disease strikes 50 million people annually, particularly in Asia, South America and Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The vaccine does not require refrigeration or other special handling, and doctors using injection guns could give 1,200 shots per hour. Typhoid fever is caused by a form of bacteria that is spread through food and water tainted with sewage. The vaccine was developed by Dr. John B. Robbins and colleagues at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. A report on its experimental use was published in last week’s New England Journal of Medicine.

The vaccine is a purified concentration of the outer capsule of the typhoid bacterium that prompts the body to produce antibodies that kill the typhoid microbe.