Typhoid Prevention in Children: Is Hygiene Enough or Is Vaccination Essential?

How to prevent typhoid in children? It has become a pressing health challenge in recent times. Children living in areas lacking safe water, good food, and proper sanitation face the highest risk. Parents often wonder whether maintaining good hygiene provides sufficient protection or if additional measures become necessary. The answer lies in understanding both approaches. Handwashing and clean water are the foundations of disease prevention but the typhoid fever vaccine gives an additional protective layer. This article explains hygiene practices alongside other typhoid vaccination options. This helps parents make informed decisions about protecting their children.

Typhoid Fever in Children

Salmonella Typhi, a bacterium that spreads through contaminated food and water causes typhoid fever in children. The disease affects millions of lives each year with children bearing the heaviest burden.

Children become more susceptible than adults due to their developing immune systems. Young ones, especially toddlers, lack pre-existing immunity from prior exposure. Their natural curiosity guides them to touch contaminated surfaces and objects, then put their hands in their mouths. So the bacteria enter their bodies through this faecal-oral route.

The symptoms are different in children compared to adults. High fever ranging from 39-40°C appears first and comes with abdominal pain. Diarrhoea and vomiting occur more often in young patients than in grown-ups. The incubation period spans 6-30 days after exposure.

One alarming finding is that 1 in 5 children with confirmed typhoid fever shed Salmonella Typhi in their stool. Shedding persists even after antibiotic treatment. These children become 7 times more likely to require hospitalisation. More concerning, the majority of household contacts who shed the bacteria remain asymptomatic and spread infection to other family members without showing symptoms.

What Hygiene and Sanitation Measures You Can Take for Typhoid Prevention

As a parent you can prevent typhoid in children through daily hygiene habits. Research shows that simple hygiene practices significantly reduces risk of typhoid. Better WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) households show a higher reduction in incidence of typhoid along with adjusting for other factors.

Simple actions make this difference:

•         Ensure safe drinking water by boiling it for at least 1 minute, using filtered options, or choosing factory-sealed bottled water

•         Wash your hands really well with soap before meals, after toilet visits, and before preparing food

•         Cook all food completely until steaming hot avoiding anything served at room temperature.

•         Wash fruits and vegetables carefully with clean water, peeling when possible

•         Avoid street vendors unless the food is cooked freshly in front of you and served hot

•         Skip raw foods including lettuce and berries that retain contamination even after washing

•         Use hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol when soap becomes unavailable.

These measures work among other protection methods with the typhoid fever vaccine to create multiple protection layers. Hygiene forms the foundation but vaccination adds extra security for children in high-risk areas.

Typhoid Vaccination Options for Children

Children can receive protection against typhoid through three vaccine options. Paediatricians and health organisations worldwide prefer the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) as their top choice.

Children as young as 6 months can receive TCV. A single injection delivers protection, while older options require multiple doses.

Children above 2 years can receive the Vi polysaccharide vaccine (Vi-PS). Protection fades faster and requires boosters every 2 to 3 years.

The oral Ty21a vaccine comes in capsule form. It is best for children over six years. Taking 3 to 4 doses provides protection lasting up to 7 years. Its effectiveness mirrors Vi-PS at 50-80%.

Only a few vaccinated children experience mild reactions like fever or injection site tenderness. No serious events occurred, reassuring worried parents everywhere.

Conclusion

Protecting children from typhoid requires both approaches working together. Good hygiene practices are your first line of defence and cut disease risk significantly. Getting the typhoid vaccine can make a real difference, especially for kids who live where the risk is higher. It gives them extra protection that helps parents worry a little less.

Smart parents combine both strategies rather than choosing between cleanliness and immunisation. This dual approach gives children the strongest shield against this dangerous bacterial infection and ensures they stay healthy and thrive.

Dr. Gurudutt A V, Head of Paediatric Services & Paediatric Intensivist

PICU & Paediatric Emergency,

KIMS Hospitals, Bengaluru