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.
In response, 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 on Friday, Mr Samuel Akoriyea Kaba, the Director-General of the GHS, said food handlers played a critical role in daily life and economic activity, but the nature of their work could expose food to contamination and inadvertently contribute to the transmission of typhoid fever.
He said although existing regulations required periodic medical screening and certification for food handlers, those measures alone were insufficient.
“Medical screening reflects an individual’s health status only at a particular moment in time and does not protect against future infections,” Mr Kaba said.
He explained that the vaccination programme marked a shift from a predominantly reactive response to a proactive and preventive public health approach, aimed at reducing transmission and preventing outbreaks.
Mr Kaba said evidence from other countries showed that typhoid vaccination, particularly when combined with booster doses, was safe, effective and sustainable in controlling the disease.
The programme was the result of 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, he said.
It included the Food and Drugs Authority, the Ghana Tourism Authority, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), development partners and representatives of the food and hospitality industry.
He assured stakeholders of the safety of the vaccines, which were pre-qualified and approved by the Food and Drugs Authority, meeting international standards of safety, quality and efficacy.
Implementation, he said, would be done in phases, beginning with hotels, restaurants and food and beverage companies, and later scaled up to cover all eligible food handlers nationwide, supported by public education through television and other media platforms.
Mr Kaba noted that the success of the programme would depend on strong stakeholder ownership, effective communication and public trust, adding that the vaccination should be seen as a protective and not a punitive measure.
Dr Selorm Kustsoati, Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), said the vaccination represented primary prevention, offering better protection than the current practice of relying mainly on screening.
She said the vaccines would 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 would cover food establishments such as hotels, chop bars, pubs, butcher shops, hospital kitchens, as well as individuals across the food value chain, including kitchen staff, chefs, food servers and delivery personnel,” she said.
Mr Prince Dzramado, Environmental Health Officer at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, said typhoid transmission remained closely linked to challenges with access to safe drinking water, sanitation, overcrowding and poor food hygiene practices.
He 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.
Mr Dzramado 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, saying; “food safety starts with you.”
GNA