Free typhoid vaccination for 50 million children from October 12

The Ministry of Health has announced that a national campaign will provide free typhoid vaccination to five million children across Bangladesh, starting on 12 October.

Officials have warned that anyone attempting to collect money for the vaccine will face strict action.

Professor Dr. Sayedur Rahman, Special Government Advisor and Chief Coordinator of the campaign, confirmed that the vaccine has been fully quality-assured before inclusion in the national program. Children can be registered for the vaccination through their birth certificates, while manual registration options are also available. The campaign will continue until 13 November.

Dr. Rahman noted that the vaccine has previously been successfully administered in Pakistan in 2019, Nepal in 2022, and is currently being given in Mumbai, India. Vaccination will take place not only in schools but also at permanent vaccination centers across the country.

Regarding outreach for street children, the Health Ministry stated that the NGO Bureau will coordinate the vaccination efforts. The campaign is being implemented with support from the Ministries of Religious Affairs, Education, and Social Welfare.

The typhoid vaccine, produced by India’s Serum Institute, is being provided free of cost through the Gavi project. As of 9 October, online registration has been completed for over 16.8 million children, with an additional 15% registered offline.

Dr. Rahman highlighted that Bangladesh has been implementing nationwide vaccination programs since 1989 to reduce preventable deaths and disabilities from infectious diseases among children and women of reproductive age.

Typhoid fever, caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria, remains a serious vaccine-preventable disease in Bangladesh, primarily spreading through contaminated food and water. According to the Global Burden of Disease study, over 7 million people worldwide were infected with typhoid in 2021, resulting in nearly 93,000 deaths. In Bangladesh, children aged 9 months to 15 years are most affected. A 2021 survey found that approximately 8,000 people died from typhoid in Bangladesh, of which 68% were children under 15 years old.