Residents of Fiji’s second largest island, Vanua Levu will be administered Typhoid Conjugate vaccines (TCV) in a mass vaccination campaign spanning eight weeks, starting this Sunday.
The vaccination drive is in response to increased cases of typhoid reported in the North.
In their most recent update earlier this month, the Ministry of Health reported more than 10 cases.
Compared to previous typhoid vaccines, TCV is said to provide longer-lasting protection, requires fewer doses, and is suitable for children under two years of age.
For registration, adults are advised to bring their valid photo ID and their Birth Certificate or Covid vaccination card. Children are advised to bring their birth certificates if they wish to get their vaccination outside school. For babies above 9 months of age, their parents are to bring their birth certificates as well as their IDs(parents).
In instances where the birth certificate is not yet available or has not been produced, an alternative form of documentation such as the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) card may be utilised as a valid substitute. For Non-Fijian citizens, passports and work permits are required.
The vaccines that are being rolled out are among the first batch of the vaccines totaling 26,000 vials (containing 130,000 doses) which arrived in the country earlier this month and have been distributed across the four medical subdivisions in the North.
The campaign is an initiative of the Ty-FIVE Project which stems from a collaborative partnership between the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Fiji and international partners, including the International Vaccine Institute, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and the University of Melbourne.
The project is implemented by the local Ty-FIVE team based in Labasa comprising 13 members with a diverse range of expertise covering clinical and environmental surveillance of typhoid and implementation of the vaccination campaign.
