Bangladesh has begun a nationwide campaign to protect children from typhoid, a life-threatening illness increasingly resistant to antibiotics across South Asia.

The monthlong programme, launched on Sunday, aims to immunise around 50 million children aged nine months to 15 years with a single dose of the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV). Approved by the World Health Organization, the vaccine offers protection for up to five years and is being provided free under the government’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

Health workers are delivering the vaccines through schools, clinics, and door-to-door visits, focusing on urban slums and remote areas. The campaign, supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will run until November 13, after which TCV will become part of Bangladesh’s regular immunisation schedule.

Typhoid, caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria, spreads through contaminated food and water and can lead to severe complications if untreated. Rising drug resistance has made prevention more urgent — with countries like Pakistan already facing strains that withstand nearly all antibiotics. Recent studies in Bangladesh have also detected ceftriaxone-resistant cases, one of the last lines of defence.

Health adviser Nurjahan Begum, who inaugurated the campaign, called it “shameful” that children still die from typhoid and expressed confidence that Bangladesh will overcome the disease as it did diarrhoea and night blindness. Officials noted the vaccine’s proven safety in neighbouring countries including Pakistan, Nepal, and India.