• R Leon Ochiai, Camilo J Acosta, Magdarina Agtini, Sujit K Bhattacharya, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Canh Gia Do, Baiqing Dong, Xinguang Chen, Bonita Stanton, Linda Kaljee, Andrew Nyamete, Claudia M Galindo, Lorenz von Seidlein, Denise DeRoeck, Luis Jodar, and John D Clemens.
• International Vaccine Institute, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, Korea. rlochiai@ivi.int
• Clin. Infect. Dis. 2007 Jul 15; 45 Suppl 1: S34-8.

BackgroundTwo currently licensed typhoid vaccines have been evaluated in Asia, yet few Asian countries have considered including typhoid vaccines in their vaccination programs. The Diseases of the Most Impoverished (DOMI) Program was initiated to provide evidence to decide on the introduction of typhoid vaccines in Asian countries.MethodsThe centerpiece of the program is a multidisciplinary demonstration project with Vi vaccine in 5 Asian countries. The project includes epidemiologic, economic, sociobehavioral, and policy studies.ResultsPolicy makers want evidence on which to base their vaccine-related decisions. The DOMI Program has provided updated information on the typhoid fever burden at several Asian sites. Cost-of-illness studies found high costs to governments and individuals. Sociobehavioral studies indicated a positive attitude toward typhoid vaccines. The results of the demonstration projects indicate that mass-immunization campaigns are feasible and acceptable.ConclusionsThe DOMI Program has begun to provide momentum for the evidence-based, rational introduction of typhoid vaccines into the public health programs of several Asian countries.

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