A major trial conducted in Africa’s Malawi has shown that a new vaccine against typhoid fever in young children was highly effective.

An intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated that the vaccine was 80.7% effective (95% CI 64.2%-89.6%), with fewer adverse events compared to a standard meningococcal A (MenA) vaccine used as a control, reported researchersin the New England Journal of Medicine. Around 28,000 children, 9 months to 12 years of age, were included in the trial, and were assigned in almost equal numbers to the MenAvaccine or to the Vi-TCV typhoid vaccine (a conjugated product that combines tetanus toxoid and a Salmonella enterica Typhi polysaccharide). Of 14,069 children who received Ti-TCV, 12 developed typhoid infection, compared to 62 of those who were given MenA, during passive surveillance for 18 months or more. Infection rates were 46.9 per 100,000 person-years for Ti-TCV compared to 243.2 for MenA… (Medpage Today)