Bangladesh launches free typhoid vaccine for children

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh will begin offering free typhoid vaccinations to children through its national immunization program from Aug. 1, marking a significant expansion of routine childhood healthcare in a country where the bacterial disease remains a persistent public health concern.

Under the new policy, all children aged 15 months will receive a single dose of the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) alongside the second dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine during the same immunization visit, according to a directive issued Sunday by the government’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).

The move brings the typhoid vaccine into Bangladesh’s routine vaccination schedule for the first time. Previously, parents had to obtain the vaccine through private healthcare providers at their own expense, limiting access for many low-income families.

The decision follows a nationwide typhoid vaccination campaign conducted in 2025 that reached most eligible children and demonstrated the feasibility of integrating the vaccine into the country’s regular immunization system.

Health authorities approved the policy after recommendations from Bangladesh’s National Immunization Technical Advisory Group in December 2025. The proposal was later endorsed by the Inter-agency Coordination Committee under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Under the updated schedule, children will receive one intramuscular dose of the vaccine at permanent and outreach immunization centers across the country.

The EPI has instructed frontline health workers to identify eligible children through household visits, prepare beneficiary lists before vaccination sessions and register recipients using the government’s VaxEPI digital platform. Vaccination records will also be updated through the country’s Smart Health system to strengthen electronic immunization tracking.

Typhoid fever is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection caused by Salmonella Typhi. The disease spreads through contaminated food and water and remains common in many low- and middle-income countries where access to clean water and sanitation is limited. Young children are among those most vulnerable to severe illness.

The World Health Organization recommends the use of typhoid conjugate vaccines in countries with a high burden of the disease, describing them as more effective and longer-lasting than older typhoid vaccines.

By incorporating TCV into its routine immunization schedule, Bangladesh joins a growing number of countries using the vaccine as part of long-term efforts to reduce typhoid infections and related deaths.