Staff Reporter :
Typhoid vaccines will be administered among the 4.9cr children across the country from October 12, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Professor Dr. Md. Abu Jafar said on Sunday.
He made this statement on Sunday at a press conference held at the DGHS conference room in Mohakhali in the capital.
The Director General said, although some typhoid vaccines are available in the market, this vaccine is of much higher quality and approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
He further said that from October 12, vaccination activities will continue for 10 days at schools and colleges across Dhaka and all districts and upazilas of the country.
Later, starting November 1, vaccines will be administered for another 10 days through union-level centers.
Since August 1, registration for this program has been ongoing at schools and colleges nationwide. Parents can register their children on the website www.vexepi.gov.bd using information from their birth certificates.
Children who are registered will be able to go to any center to receive the vaccine from October 12.
Vaccination will be provided between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the centers. The government has deployed adequate manpower for this campaign.
The Director General explained that typhoid is a contagious disease. Washing hands properly before eating and after defecation can help prevent it.
However, it can also occur for other reasons. He described typhoid as a highly infectious and severe disease.
He stated that all children in the country aged nine months to under 15 years will be vaccinated against typhoid.
Children without birth certificates will also receive the vaccine, but in such cases, guardians must provide detailed information to the center officials.
The Director General highlighted that typhoid is one of the leading causes of infectious disease in Bangladesh.
Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi, which mainly spreads through contaminated food and water.
He said that the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) is effective and safe for prevention.
He noted that children worldwide have been receiving this vaccine without adverse effects. Pakistan, Nepal, and several other countries are already using this vaccine.
The TCV vaccine being used in Bangladesh has been verified by the WHO. After vaccination, mild reactions may occur such as redness or swelling at the injection site, slight pain, low-grade fever, headache, fatigue, or muscle pain, which usually resolve on their own.
The Director General said that during the campaign, all students from pre-primary to ninth grade (or equivalent) in educational institutions will be vaccinated at their respective schools.
Out-of-school children aged nine months to under 15 years will be vaccinated at existing permanent and temporary EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunization) centers.
For children two years old or younger, a 0.5 ml dose will be administered in the outer mid-thigh muscle. For those above two years, the same dose will be given in the deltoid muscle of the upper arm.
He emphasized that children between nine months and under 15 years are the most affected by typhoid in Bangladesh. A single dose of TCV provides strong protection at this age. Therefore, this campaign is targeting children in this group.
Additional Director General (Admin & Planning), Director of Administration Dr. Mohammad Abu Hanif, EPI Line Director Dr. Md. Abdullah Al Murad, and other senior officials of DGHS were present at the press conference.
