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.

 

Formed in 2010 through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CaT’s objectives are accomplished through the collective activities of its membership. The Sabin Vaccine Institute, based in Washington, DC, serves as the CaT Secretariat.

 

What We Do

Typhoid vaccines have primarily been targeted for use in the private or traveler’s markets and have not been widely supported for use at the country level. This means that the most vulnerable populations, such as infants and young children, do not have access to the vaccine.

 

CaT focuses on vaccine policy, raising awareness about the prevalence of typhoid, and the need for vaccines. CaT aims to ensure that sufficient global typhoid immunization and financing policies are in place to enable the widespread use of typhoid vaccines in endemic areas, and that these policies are supported at the regional and national levels.

 

Why It Matters

Up to one-third of the world’s population, most of whom are children, is at risk of contracting typhoid fever. Typhoid remains a very real threat in developing countries where many people lack access to clean water and basic sanitation, thereby exposing themselves to the conditions that enable typhoid to spread.

 

Unlike many other diseases prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, typhoid is preventable. Given that fundamental prevention strategies like good hygienic practices and access to clean water may be out of reach for many countries in the near-term, there is an even greater need for high-impact and cost-effective typhoid vaccines right now.

 

Priorities

In order to achieve the goal of increased access to typhoid vaccines, CaT targets its work in the following two areas:

 

• Immunization Policy: CaT is working to make conjugate vaccines broadly available by advocating for an updated WHO policy recommendation and vaccine prequalification, which helps ensure that medicines supplied to countries by procurement agencies meet acceptable standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.

 

• Immunization Finance: The support of the Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) will also be instrumental in enabling the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines in endemic areas of Gavi-eligible countries at an affordable price.