Islamic Foundation, UNICEF support typhoid vaccination advocacy campaign

The Islamic Foundation Dhaka Divisional Office, with support from UNICEF, jointly organised an advocacy and planning meeting on 30 September under the Typhoid Vaccination Campaign 2025.

Typhoid fever, a preventable yet life-threatening infectious disease, continues to claim lives worldwide. According to the Global Burden of Disease 2021 survey, an estimated 477,518 people in Bangladesh were affected — equivalent to 290 cases per 100,000 population — with 61 percent being children under 15. To address this, the Ministry of Health has introduced the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV), a safe and effective vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for routine immunisation.

As part of the campaign, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) is administering TCV free of charge for all children aged between nine months and under 15 years.

The advocacy and planning meeting was aimed at strengthening community outreach and awareness. Participants included district officers, senior Qawmi scholars, representatives from Qawmi education boards, the Imam Training Academy, model mosques, women's madrasas, field supervisors, and teachers from mosque-based child and mass education programmes across 12 districts of Dhaka Division (excluding Dhaka district). A UNICEF representative also attended as special guest.

The programme began with a recitation from the Holy Qur'an. Welcome remarks were delivered by Md Humayun Kabir, Deputy Director of the Islamic Foundation Dhaka Divisional Office, while the session was chaired by Md Anisur Rahman Sarkar, Director of the same office.

Abdul Salam Khan, Director General (Senior District and Sessions Judge) of the Islamic Foundation, attended as chief guest. Md Rezzakul Haider, Director of the Imam Training Academy, joined as special guest. All guests and scholars expressed their commitment to raising awareness and ensuring the success of the nationwide vaccination drive.