Ghana Health Service Mandates Typhoid Vaccination for Food Handlers

The Ghana===Ghana Health Service (GHS) is set to roll out a mandatory nationwide typhoid vaccination program targeting all food handlers, including street vendors, restaurant staff, and food and beverage company employees. This initiative, supported by the Ghana===Ministry of Health (Ghana) and with vaccines approved by the Ghana===Food and Drugs Authority (Ghana) and World Health Organization pre-qualified, aims to curb the spread of typhoid fever, which has caused thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of cases in Ghana over the past five years. The program marks a shift from reactive screening to proactive prevention, with vaccination status becoming a requirement for obtaining health certificates to operate. The vaccine will be subsidized, and the program will be implemented in phases, starting with organized food sectors before expanding to informal settings. Key figures like Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Director-General of Ghana===Ghana Health Service, and Franklin Asiedu Bekoe, Director of Public Affairs, have emphasized the program's importance for public safety and economic activity.