Fighting Typhoid in Uganda: Our Next Mission
With references from WHO, UNICEF, IHME, and peer-reviewed studies
🦠 What Is Typhoid?
A Deadly but Preventable Disease.
Typhoid fever (also known as Typhus abdominalis or enteric fever) is a systemic, life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. It is transmitted via the fecal-oral route—primarily through contaminated water and food. After an incubation period of 6 to 30 days, the bacteria invade the bloodstream, causing severe illness marked by persistent high fever, abdominal pain, weakness, constipation or diarrhea, and in some cases, a rose-colored rash on the abdomen.
Without treatment, typhoid can lead to severe complications including:
Intestinal perforation (rupture of the bowel), requiring emergency surgery
Sepsis and bloodstream infection
Liver and spleen enlargement
Neurological symptoms, including confusion and delirium
Fatality rates can exceed 15% in untreated cases, and up to 75% in cases involving intestinal perforation without access to surgical care .
🌍 Typhoid in Uganda:
The Hidden Burden.
Uganda remains one of the high-burden countries for typhoid fever. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME):
56,135 cases of typhoid were officially reported in Uganda in 2017
At least 657 deaths were recorded that year
Over 50,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were lost to typhoid-related illness and long-term complications
However, experts agree the real numbers are much higher. Underreporting, poor access to diagnostic labs, and remote, undocumented outbreaks suggest that:
“Only 10–30% of actual typhoid cases and deaths are formally recorded in national surveillance systems.”
WHO (2024): Typhoid Vaccine Position Paper
This places Uganda among the 10 highest global contributors to typhoid burden. Children under 15 are particularly at risk due to limited immunity, poor sanitation, and malnutrition .
Compounding the crisis is the alarming rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In recent outbreaks, over 20% of typhoid isolates were resistant to multiple first-line antibiotics . Treatment becomes more expensive and less effective, putting rural populations at even greater risk.
💉 What WeDevWater Plans to Do in 2025
In October 2025, WeDevWater will launch a multi-week humanitarian health mission in Uganda. Building on years of water and sanitation projects, we are expanding our impact into preventive health care – starting with typhoid vaccination.
✅ Project Goals
Vaccinate 1,000 children, students, teachers, and high-risk individuals
Use WHO-prequalified Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV)
Focus on rural communities, remote schools, and islands
Conduct Community Health Needs Assessments in each location
Why TCV (Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine)?
TCV is the first long-lasting, single-dose vaccine effective in children as young as 6 months. It is:
Safe and over 80% effective
Recommended by WHO since 2018
Suitable for mass campaigns in low-resource settings
Listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines
Unlike older polysaccharide vaccines (like Typherix®), TCV provides multi-year protection even without boosters – crucial in regions where follow-up infrastructure is lacking.
🧰 What We Still Need
To make this possible, we are seeking support on multiple fronts:
Financial donations for field logistics, transport, storage, and personnel
Sterile medical supplies, including:
Pre-packed syringes and needles
Alcohol swabs, bandages, and gauze
Disinfectants and safety boxes for sharps
The vaccine itself: TCV doses
Partnerships with logistics providers, vaccine suppliers, and medical NGOs
🌱 Why This Matters
Typhoid doesn’t just rob children of their health – it pulls them out of school, weakens families, and burdens fragile health systems. By vaccinating now, we’re not just preventing disease:
We’re defending futures.
We’re investing in education.
We’re strengthening communities from the inside out.
This project is about more than medicine. It’s about dignity, justice, and the belief that safe water and basic healthcare should never be a privilege.
🤝 How You Can Help
🔹 Donate to fund vaccines and supplies
🔹 Sponsor a school or community
🔹 Partner with us as a logistics, medical, or NGO ally
🔹 Share our campaign and raise awareness
📚 Sources & Further Reading
WHO (2024) – Typhoid vaccines: WHO position paper. Weekly Epidemiological Record No. 18, 2024, 99, 145–168.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-UCN-VIH-24.02-eng
IHME GBD (2019) – Global Burden of Disease Study
UNICEF / Gavi (2022) – Reaching every child with typhoid vaccine
https://www.unicef.org/stories/typhoid-conjugate-vaccine-rollout
Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators (Lancet, 2022) – Global burden of bacterial AMR
