Bangladesh government, with support from UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and WHO, on Sunday launched the nationwide Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine campaign.
It marks Bangladesh as the eighth country in the world to introduce this campaign, which aims to vaccinate approximately 50 million children aged between nine months and under 15 years with a single, life-saving dose of the TCV vaccine, protecting them from deadly typhoid fever, said a joint press release.
The campaign was inaugurated at Farid Uddin Siddiqui High School in the capital鈥檚 Azimpur area in the morning.
Children from Sir Salimullah Muslim Orphanage, studying at the host school, were among the first to receive the vaccine during this inaugural session.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, health adviser Nurjahan Begum said, 鈥楾he TCV Campaign 2025 marks the beginning of a new journey to protect our children from the deadly threat of typhoid fever.鈥�
Building on the success of the 2024 HPV campaign, which achieved 93 per cent coverage, we must strive for 100 per cent coverage so that every child is protected, she said.
The EPI programme prevents an estimated 94,000 child deaths every year, said Nurjahan, adding that an additional 6,000 deaths can be prevented annually and move one step closer to a healthier, typhoid-free Bangladesh with the introduction of TCV.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance senior country manager Dirk Gehl said, 鈥楾his campaign, the largest TCV rollout ever, that targets nearly 50 million children and adolescents in Bangladesh, is a critical advance in the global fight against increasingly drug-resistant typhoid.鈥�
The TCV campaign will be rolled out in two phases. The first phase, taking place from October 12 to October 30, will cover all educational institutions across the country 鈥� including pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools, madrasa, and English-medium schools while the second phase, scheduled from November 1 to 13, will extend the campaign to communities through EPI fixed centres and around 1,20,000 outreach sites nationwide, said the press release.
UNICEF has supported the government in this vaccination drive, supplied 50.4 million TCV doses, and strengthened every stage of delivery鈥攆rom planning to communication.
UNICEF representative to Bangladesh Rana Flowers said, 鈥楾his campaign marks an important milestone in collective efforts to protect every child from this preventable and life-threatening disease.鈥�
WHO representative to Bangladesh Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed said, 鈥榃ith the TCV, we have a critical opportunity to protect children, reverse alarming trends of antibiotic-resistant, and save thousands of young lives every year.鈥�
Following the campaign, TCV will be integrated into the routine immunization schedule for children under one year starting in 2026, ensuring sustainable protection for children in Bangladesh, said the press release.
