BALI, Indonesia, May 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition against Typhoid (CaT), in collaboration with Bio Farma, began the 9th International Conference on Typhoid and Invasive NTS Disease in Bali, Indonesia, with more than 200 public health experts from around the world in attendance. Over the next three days, they will discuss strategies to combat typhoid and invasive non-typhoidal salmonella (iNTS) disease. Experts will present their research on disease burdens, the cost effectiveness of intervention strategies and global policy recommendations for invasive salmonelloses.
Typhoid impacts approximately 21 million people, causing more than 216,000 deaths annually — predominantly among children younger than 15. In addition, invasive non-typhoidal salmonellae cause an estimated 3.4 million illnesses and 681,316 deaths globally each year.
"More than one-third of the world's population lives in typhoid-endemic countries; however, media coverage of this deadly disease — disproportionately affecting young children — remains minimal," said Zulfiqar Bhutta, PhD, founding director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University in Pakistan. "This biennial conference provides an opportunity to highlight the challenges in overcoming the global typhoid burden as well as tangible progress toward more affordable and effective interventions to combat invasive salmonelloses."
Typhoid, the leading serotype of the invasive salmonella family, is treatable with antibiotics. However, resistance to commonly used antibiotics has emerged as a growing challenge. A lack of effective diagnostic test further complicates management. Together, these challenges underscore the need for increased use of typhoid vaccines in the short term. Despite a WHO recommendation to prioritize typhoid vaccines for "immediate" implementation, their use remains minimal in endemic settings.
"Vaccines provide an immediate solution to the human suffering caused by typhoid," said Imran Khan, director of the CaT Secretariat at the U.S.-based Sabin Vaccine Institute. "We have made significant progress since the last international conference on typhoid in 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Two conjugate vaccines have been licensed in India and six more are in clinical development and will be licensed in their country of manufacture by 2018. To continue this momentum, the Coalition against Typhoid will work with partners on the critical next steps: securing a revised immunization policy and financial commitment for typhoid conjugate vaccines."
The recent national licensure of typhoid conjugate vaccines in India — and their availability and use in the private market — represents a major milestone in typhoid prevention. These events lay the groundwork for expanding use of these vaccines in the public sector through national immunization programs. A conjugate vaccine could prevent 90 percent of typhoid cases and deaths, saving approximately 190,000 lives a year. These vaccines, which offer a longer duration of protection compared with earlier vaccines, is safe and can be used in infants as young as six months old.
The 9th International Conference on Typhoid and Invasive NTS Disease is a landmark conference in addressing the global burden of invasive salmonella infections. The conference includes a research and public health focus on overcoming barriers to diagnosis, management and prevention of salmonella infections.
About the Coalition against Typhoid
The Coalition against Typhoid (CaT) is a global forum of health and immunization experts working to expedite and sustain rational, evidence-based decisions at the global, regional, national and municipal levels regarding the use of typhoid vaccines to prevent enteric fever. CaT aims to define barriers to the adoption of typhoid vaccines in communities that would benefit most and the key activities that are needed to overcome them.
