Typhoid conjugate vaccine(EuBiologics Co., Ltd.)

A novel typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) presentation, the microarray patch (MAP), is in early-stage development and could potentially help to increase coverage in hard-to-reach populations beyond what is being achieved with the current TCV in a vial presentation administered with a needle and syringe (TCV-N&S). However, TCV-MAPs may come at a higher price per dose than TCV-N&S. Our analysis evaluated the potential cost-effectiveness of TCV-MAPs alongside TCV-N&S compared to TCV-N&S alone. A global extended cost-effectiveness analysis, taking a health care perspective, was conducted for 133 low- to upper-middle-income countries for a time horizon of 20 years (2033-2052). Health outcomes were expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and costs in 2021 US dollars, both discounted at 3 %. We assumed TCV-MAP would cost 1.33 to 3 times the price of the TCV-N&S vaccine. We calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and evaluated them against various cost-effectiveness thresholds. For five selected countries, we conducted an additional subnational analysis to understand the potential value of a district-specific TCV-MAP implementation instead of a national rollout. Across the 133 low- to upper-middle-income countries, national rollout of TCV-MAPs could avert an additional 5.2 million cases, 47,000 deaths, and 2.4 million DALYs compared to TCV-N&S only, at an additional cost of US$3.5 billion over 20 years. The largest proportion of the averted burden would be in the sub-Saharan African region. TCV-MAPs could be cost-effective in 33 % of the countries but in 78 % of sub-Saharan African countries. A subnational implementation could benefit some countries for which a national implementation may not be cost-effective, averting 2-15 % of cases for less than 1-3 % of the additional cost as compared to a national rollout. MAP price was a key driver of the results. Regional or subnational implementation, coupled with a lower price point, could significantly improve the TCV-MAP value proposition.

Access to safe and nutritious food is key to promoting good health. An estimated 600 million fall ill after eating contaminated food, for which food handlers may constitute a common source of contamination. In addition to unhealthy food handlers, disease carriers handling the food play an equally important role in transmitting these diseases and pose a significant threat to public health. This study, therefore, aimed to know the morbidity profile among the food handlers employed in various food establishments in Panaji city.

Using stratified sampling techniques, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 227 participants selected from 12 food establishments. We did three visits to each food establishment. We excluded food handlers who were unavailable despite three visits at fortnightly intervals and those who did not consent to the study. We administered a pre-designed and pre-structured questionnaire to each participant. A general examination and laboratory investigations, including stool and urine routine, were performed on all participants. We performed descriptive and analytical statistics by using SPSS version 14

Out of the 227 study participants, 79 (34.8%) had at least one morbidity at the time of examination. None of the food handlers had received a single dose of typhoid, hepatitis A, or cholera vaccines. Most (74.4%) study participants did not administer deworming tablets

We found that the health status of the study participants was substandard. Food safety may be in peril among food handlers with lower education backgrounds with morbidities as they may have little understanding of the risk of microbial contamination of food. Therefore, it is essential to create awareness among them.