Accra: A total of 9,175 Ghanaians died from typhoid fever over the past five years, with 4,579 cases of typhoid-related intestinal perforations recorded nationwide. Data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) indicate that between 2021 and 2025, the country recorded 720,582 typhoid cases, underscoring the persistent public health burden of the disease.
According to Ghana News Agency, the GHS has held a stakeholder engagement to discuss the rollout of a typhoid fever vaccination programme targeting food handlers within the hotel, restaurant and broader food service sector. Speaking at the engagement, Mr Samuel Akoriyea Kaba, the Director-General of the GHS, highlighted the critical role of food handlers in daily life and economic activity. He noted that the nature of their work could expose food to contamination and inadvertently contribute to the transmission of typhoid fever.
Mr Kaba explained that existing regulations requiring periodic medical screening and certification for food handlers are insufficient. He stated, "Medical screening reflects an individual's health status only at a particular moment in time and does not protect against future infections." The vaccination programme aims to shift from a predominantly reactive response to a proactive and preventive public health approach, reducing transmission and preventing outbreaks.
Evidence from other countries shows that typhoid vaccination, particularly when combined with booster doses, is safe, effective, and sustainable in controlling the disease. The programme resulted from extensive consultations with key stakeholders like the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, the Food and Drugs Authority, the Ghana Tourism Authority, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), among others.
Mr Kaba assured stakeholders of the safety of the vaccines, which are pre-qualified and approved by the Food and Drugs Authority, meeting international standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. Implementation will be done in phases, beginning with hotels, restaurants, and food and beverage companies, and later scaled up to cover all eligible food handlers nationwide. This will be supported by public education through television and other media platforms.
Dr Selorm Kustsoati, Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), stated that the vaccination represents primary prevention, offering better protection than the current practice of relying mainly on screening. The vaccines will be delivered through regional and district health structures at an approved subsidised fee, with beneficiaries receiving proof of vaccination to support registration and certification by MMDAs.
The vaccination will cover food establishments such as hotels, chop bars, pubs, butcher shops, hospital kitchens, and individuals across the food value chain, including kitchen staff, chefs, food servers, and delivery personnel. Mr Prince Dzramado, Environmental Health Officer at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, emphasized that typhoid transmission remains closely linked to challenges with access to safe drinking water, sanitation, overcrowding, and poor food hygiene practices.
Mr Dzramado noted that vaccination would serve as an additional protective layer alongside improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene, food safety regulation enforcement, early diagnosis, and effective disease surveillance. He highlighted the growing concern of antimicrobial resistance resulting from frequent self-medication and misuse of antibiotics, noting that reducing typhoid infections would help curb that trend. He urged food handlers to see vaccination as a shared responsibility to protect themselves, their customers, and the wider community, stating, "food safety starts with you."