A month-long nationwide campaign to provide free typhoid vaccination for children aged nine months to 15 years will begin tomorrow, the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced.

Under the Typhoid Vaccination Campaign 2025, around five crore children will receive one dose of the injectable typhoid vaccine at no cost. The campaign, being conducted for the first time in Bangladesh, will continue until November 13. Children without birth certificates will also be eligible to receive the vaccine.

The vaccine, developed by the Serum Institute of India, has been supplied to Bangladesh through Gavi, the international vaccine platform. Speaking to journalists, Professor Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, “The vaccine is safe and approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). It has been administered in eight other countries, including Nepal and Pakistan. There are no reports of major side effects of the vaccine.”

During the campaign, all students from pre-primary to ninth grade or equivalent will receive a single dose of the vaccine. Vaccination at schools and madrasas will continue until October 30, followed by door-to-door vaccination for all children aged nine months to 15 years. NGOs will also vaccinate street children in urban areas.

The government has set a target of vaccinating 8 crore 90 lakh children this time, with 1 crore 60 lakh children already registered. Children without birth certificates can be registered with the help of health workers at the nearest vaccination centers.

Parents or guardians must complete online registration at http://vaxepi.gov.bd/registration/tcv
 to obtain a vaccine card. EPI Programme Manager Dr Abul Fazal Md Shahabuddin Khan said the first 10 days of the campaign will focus on schools and madrasas, followed by eight days at EPI centers nationwide.

MN/