Bangladesh has launched the world’s largest Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) campaign to protect nearly 50 million children aged 9 months to under 15 years from typhoid fever, a major public health concern in the country. The campaign, supported by UNICEF, WHO, and Gavi, marks Bangladesh as the eighth country globally to introduce the TCV vaccine.
Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum said the campaign aims to eliminate the deadly threat of typhoid, which infects hundreds of thousands each year. “With TCV, we can prevent up to 6,000 child deaths annually and move closer to a typhoid-free Bangladesh,” she said. The campaign began on October 12 and will be conducted in two phases, first through schools and later through community outreach centers across the country.
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Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella typhi bacteria, remains a serious threat in Bangladesh. According to the Global Burden of Disease 2021, nearly 478,000 people were infected and 8,000 died, most of them children. The new vaccine is expected to reduce both the number of cases and antibiotic resistance, a growing challenge for the healthcare system.
UNICEF has supplied more than 50 million vaccine doses and helped digitize registration and tracking through the VaxEPI app, ensuring real-time monitoring and efficient distribution. “Vaccinating children is a promise — a promise of prevention over treatment,” said Rana Flowers, UNICEF’s Representative to Bangladesh. The campaign will eventually integrate TCV into Bangladesh’s routine immunization program for infants starting in 2026.
Experts say this vaccination drive not only strengthens public health but also supports economic and social development. Healthier children mean better school attendance, reduced family medical expenses, and a stronger workforce in the long run, key elements for sustainable development.
In Pakistan, typhoid remains a pressing challenge as well. The country became the first in the world to introduce TCV into its routine immunization program in 2019, following a major outbreak of drug-resistant typhoid in Sindh. However, consistent coverage and awareness remain hurdles, especially in remote areas. Bangladesh’s large-scale campaign could serve as a valuable model for improving vaccine access and community outreach across South Asia.
Sania Nashtar, CEO GAVI Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases, congratulated the Bangladesh government, calling the campaign “a crucial step in the global fight against antibiotic-resistant typhoid.”
