Bangladesh launches first-ever nationwide typhoid vaccination drive to immunise 4.9 crore children
Doctors have advised parents to ensure their children are well-fed before vaccination.
Bangladesh launched its first-ever nationwide typhoid vaccination campaign today (12 October), with the goal of immunising 4.9 crore children and adolescents, marking a major milestone in the country's public health efforts.
Starting at 9am, students across 10,000 educational institutions began receiving free doses of the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), as part of a month-long drive.
Inaugurating the campaign at Sir Salimullah Muslim Orphanage in Azimpur, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said it is "shameful" that children in Bangladesh still die from typhoid.
Mentioning that the country has successfully controlled diseases like diarrhoea and night blindness, she expressed confidence that Bangladesh will also succeed in eradicating typhoid.
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She added that typhoid is a disease that can be completely controlled through awareness and vaccination.
Students will continue to receive the vaccine until 2:30pm. Over the next 10 days, only school students will be vaccinated.
Children without birth certificates will also be eligible for this month-long campaign, which will continue until 13 November.
Dr Abul Fazal Md Shahabuddin Khan, programme manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), told The Business Standard that from tomorrow onwards, vaccines will be administered daily from 8am to 2:30pm.
Who will receive the vaccine?
Children aged 9 months to under 15 years are eligible.
All students from pre-primary to grade nine (or equivalent) will receive one dose of the typhoid vaccine at their respective schools or madrasas.
Children not enrolled in school can receive the vaccine at EPI vaccination centres.
In urban areas, NGOs will help vaccinate street children.
Doctors have advised parents to ensure their children are well-fed before vaccination.
How to register
The registration process began on 1 August.
So far some 16.8 million children have registered, and registration remains open.
To register for vaccination, one has to visit: https://vaxepi.gov.bd/registration/tcv
Vaccination at educational institutions will run for 10 days.
From 13 October to 13 November, vaccines will also be given at permanent EPI centres, and from 1 November to 13 November, at satellite/outreach EPI centres.
Why is this vaccination important?
"The typhoid vaccine to be administered in Bangladesh is pre-qualified, safe and tested by the World Health Organization (WHO)," Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Dr Md Sayedur Rahman said at a press briefing on Thursday (9 October).
Sayedur highlighted the urgency of the campaign, noting that typhoid causes a high number of deaths among children. Citing a 2021 study, he said around 8,000 people died of typhoid in Bangladesh that year and that about 68% (around 6,000) of them were under 15 years old.
He mentioned that the vaccine has shown a proven safety record in other countries, having been used successfully in Pakistan (2019), Nepal (2022) and India's Mumbai, with no major adverse reactions reported.
The vaccine was developed by Serum Institute of India, and Bangladesh received the doses through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
