Gavi, UNICEF, WHO reaffirm commitment to supporting Bangladesh in immunization of children

DHAKA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- UN organizations, in partnership with a vaccine alliance, have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Bangladeshi government in protecting every child from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Marking the launch of the World Immunization Week 2025, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, urged the Bangladeshi government to strengthen the national immunization program by reaffirming its high-level commitment to ensure adequate human resources and budget, and to secure the vaccine supply chains and scale up HPV vaccination.

The organizations said in a statement Monday that all these measures will create an environment to achieve over 95 percent valid vaccination coverage nationwide, leaving no child behind.

Despite the remarkable progress of the country's Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), the statement said around 400,000 children are under-immunized, and 70,000 (1.5 percent) have received no vaccines at all.

"Reaching every child and woman, especially in hard-to-reach and urban poor areas, demands renewed urgency, strengthened efforts, and increased investment," said Stanley Gwavuya, UNICEF Representative OiC in Bangladesh.

"As we mark World Immunization Week, we reaffirm our commitment to promote, provide, and protect health through the power of vaccines -- one of the most effective and life-saving public health tools," said Ahmed Jamshed Mohamed, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.

The WHO proudly stands with the government of Bangladesh and partners to ensure equitable access to vaccines and a healthier, more resilient future for every child, he added.

Sam Muller, the regional head at Gavi, called for more investments in immunization to improve health security and protect populations from vaccine-preventable diseases in Bangladesh and Southeast Asian countries. ■