China’s Sinovac donates over 383,000 polio vaccine doses to Bangladesh

The Sinovac Foundation, an arm of Chinese vaccine producer Sinovac Biotech Limited, has donated 383,080 doses of polio vaccine to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

A handover ceremony was held on Wednesday morning at the ministry’s conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Officials said the shipment contained 76,616 vials of poliomyelitis vaccine (inactivated Sabin strains, sIPV), which have already been transferred to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) storage facility. The vaccines will later be distributed to vaccination centres across the country based on demand.

The Sinovac-developed vaccine received World Health Organization pre-qualification in 2022 and is currently supplied to various international agencies, including the United Nations, as part of global polio eradication efforts.

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain expressed gratitude to China, describing it as an economic friend that has once again stood by Bangladesh.

He said that while the government has managed the measles vaccine situation, it is now facing challenges from diseases such as dengue, polio, and hantavirus.

The minister also said there is no shortage of vaccines for polio or tuberculosis, and vaccination programmes are continuing as planned.

According to him, nearly all children aged six months to five years have received the measles vaccine, with the remaining children expected to be covered soon. He further announced that a “Vitamin A Capsule Campaign” will begin shortly.

On dengue preparedness, he said field hospitals are being set up and will be expanded if necessary.

Sinovac Biotech Limited Chief Business Director Li Ning said the company is proud to support Bangladesh’s national vaccination programme and is pleased to provide WHO-prequalified sIPV vaccines. He added that Sinovac remains committed to supporting Bangladesh in strengthening public health and bilateral ties.

Senior officials from the Health Services Division, Second Secretary of the Chinese Embassy Huang Moucong, and Sinovac’s Head of International Regulatory Wang Peng were present at the ceremony.

Representatives from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), and the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) were also present at the ceremony.