Vaccination campaign against typhoid in temporary shelters after 2015 earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Abstract

After the devastating effects of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the provisions for safe drinking water, personal hygiene, and sewage management were compromised among displaced people living in temporary shelters. Typhoid fever is endemic in Kathmandu valley, which is transmitted among people by the faecal-oral route and outbreaks can occur in post-disaster situations. To reduce the risk of transmission and outbreaks, typhoid vaccine was introduced for young children and adolescents for whom the risk of typhoid fever was highest. With the collaboration of Siddhi Memorial Hospital, Nepal Paediatric Society, and Nagasaki University, a typhoid vaccination campaign was implemented in Bhaktapur district in the valley. The campaign was conducted in all 23 temporary camps in the district. Among 4,263 children aged 2 to 15 years, 4,216 (98.9%) received a single dose of the typhoid Vi polysaccharide vaccine. Most of the children (47.8%) were 11 to 15 years of age, and girls were 50.2%. Only four children (0.1%) had an adverse event following immunization (AEFI). Local camp leaders, public health officials, and local youth clubs participated in the immunization programme. In a review of admissions to the local children's hospital, there was no apparent increase in typhoid cases in the postearthquake period. Despite the various difficulties in the post-earthquake situation in Nepal in 2015, the vaccination campaign for the prevention of typhoid fever was successfully carried out among young children and adolescents.