The government has already released $83.6 million to procure 95 million doses of 10 types of vaccines

TDS Desk:

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday said Bangladesh has achieved 93% coverage in the ongoing measles-rubella vaccination campaign, with over 16.8 million children vaccinated as of May 5.

He made the remarks at a press briefing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while receiving a fresh shipment of vaccines.

According to the minister, Bangladesh’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), launched in 1979, provides protection against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases for children and women and is globally recognized for its success. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has also recognized the country as a “Vaccine Hero.”

A joint study by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Unicef estimates that the EPI programme prevents around 100,000 child deaths and about 5 million disease cases annually.

The minister said the program had been affected by some previous policy decisions. After assuming office, he cancelled a plan to procure vaccines through open tender and instead opted to source them via Unicef to ensure timely supply.

The government has already released $83.6 million to procure 95 million doses of 10 types of vaccines. On May 3, Unicef delivered 1,505,000 doses of IPV vaccines. On May 6, an additional 1.5 million doses of MR and TD vaccines (90,000 vials) were supplied.

He added that nearly 18 million more doses—including MR, TD, BCG, TCV, bOPV and pentavalent vaccines—are expected to arrive by May 10. Unicef plans to complete the full supply by September 2026.

Bangladesh currently has sufficient stock of TCV and HPV vaccines for two years. With the new shipments, no shortage of other vaccines is expected for the next 8-12 months, he said.

The minister also noted that vaccine quality is being maintained through a standard cold chain system from production to field level, with Unicef providing technical support in microplanning, training, awareness and real-time reporting.

He said the measles-rubella vaccination campaign began earlier than scheduled, starting on April 5 instead of April 19, with Unicef’s support.

The minister urged parents, teachers, community leaders and religious figures to ensure children receive at least one dose of the MR vaccine to protect them from measles.

He also expressed gratitude to development partners, including Asian Development Bank, Gavi and Unicef, for their continued support, expressing hope that coordinated efforts will further strengthen routine immunization and protect every child from preventable diseases.