A volunteer swallows live typhoid bacteria at the 2017 vaccine trials in Oxford. © Andrew Testa/ Panos Pictures, Author provided
While Christmas is associated with eating and drinking well, in countries where typhoid fever is still rife “tis the season to be jolly … careful”.
The Typhoidland Exhibition curated by Dr Samantha Vanderslott (OVG/Oxford Martin School) and Dr Claas Kirchhelle (Oxford Martin School) brings into focus how typhoid remains a major threat in many parts of the world. Poorer areas without access to safe drinking water, effective sewage systems, and affordable health care often suffer the highest typhoid burdens.
However, a new typhoid conjugate vaccine tested by Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) in 2017 is currently being rolled out in Pakistan. It can be used to vaccinate children under two and only needs one dose to achieve a protection rate of over 81%. This makes it ideal for use in poorer areas without universal access to safe water and health care.
Testing whether these vaccines worked, involved a human challenge study where over 100 participants in Oxford drank live typhoid bacteria – shown here is a participant swallowing their ‘typhoid shot’.
Watch our interviews with the ‘Typhoid Swallowers’ here:
