In a groundbreaking medical development, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has created an efficacious typhoid vaccine known as Typbar TCV. This new vaccine surpasses existing typhoid shots in preventing the disease, promising more effective protection and increased safety.
What is Typbar TCV?
Typbar TCV, developed by Bharat Biotech, is an advanced version of a conjugate vaccine that already received pre-qualification from WHO-SAGE (World Health Organisation’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization). As a conjugate vaccine, Typbar TCV employs a unique combination of two different components to create a more potent immune response. In this case, an antigen is chemically linked with a carrier protein to enhance the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Existing Typhoid Vaccines
India currently uses two typhoid vaccines: the Polysaccharide Typhoid Vaccine and Live, Weakened Typhoid Vaccine. But these vaccines’ efficacy rates are lower than Typbar TCV, offering only a 60-70% protection rate, whereas the new conjugate vaccine confers close to 82% protection.
Benefits of Typbar TCV
One of the primary advantages of Typbar TCV is that it can be administered to infants as young as six months. This is unlike the polysaccharide and live, weakened typhoid vaccines, which cannot be given to children under two years. Typbar TCV’s single dose provides robust typhoid prevention for children aged between nine months and sixteen years, demonstrating its effectiveness two-three weeks post-administration.
Typhoid bacteria traditionally could be treated with antibiotics. However, the microbes have evolved to be resistant against multiple drugs. There have been outbreaks of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid in countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Due to its superior protection level, Typbar TCV is a valuable weapon against these outbreaks.
Global Usage of Typbar TCV
Bharat Biotech’s Typbar TCV holds the distinction of being the world’s first clinically proven conjugate Typhoid vaccine. The company has been supplying this typhoid conjugate vaccine to Pakistan since 2017. In fact, Pakistan was the first country to incorporate the typhoid conjugate vaccine into its national immunization program.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type of Vaccine | Conjugate Vaccine |
| Protection Rate | 82% |
| Applicable Age Group | 6 months and above |
| Effectiveness | Shows effect 2-3 weeks post-administration |
Typhoid Disease in Brief
Typhoid fever results from infection by the highly contagious Salmonella Typhi bacteria, typically spreading through contaminated food or water. The symptoms commonly include prolonged fever, headache, nausea, appetite loss, and constipation or occasionally diarrhea. The severity of clinical symptoms varies widely, and in severe cases, typhoid could lead to serious complications or even death. According to the WHO, children aged below two years constitute a large proportion of severe typhoid cases.
