NCC to Vaccinate Over 2 lakh Children Against Typhoid

The Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) is set to vaccinate more than Two lakh children as part of a large-scale typhoid immunization campaign.

The program will begin on October 12 and continue for 10 working days across three permanent centers in the city area. The initiative was announced by Dr. Nafia Islam, Medical Officer of the City Corporation, during a press briefing held on Wednesday, October 8.

According to Dr. Nafia Islam, the vaccination campaign will target students from pre-primary to ninth grade within the city’s jurisdiction. A total of 214,118 children are expected to receive the typhoid vaccine under this program. The city has been divided into three zones to ensure smooth and efficient implementation of the campaign.

In Zone 1 (Siddhirganj region), vaccinations will be provided in 175 schools covering 67,670 students, along with 38 community centers serving an additional 27,670 children, bringing the total to 95,330.

In Zone 2 (Narayanganj region), 168 schools will vaccinate 42,996 students, while 38 community centers will cover 19,097 children, totaling 64,463. In Zone 3 (Kadam Rasul region), 125 schools will accommodate 38,673 students, and 33 community centers will vaccinate 14,459 children, amounting to 54,808 in total.

Dr. Nafia Islam further added that beginning November 9, a separate 8-day vaccination drive will be conducted across the three zones to immunize children aged 9 months to under 15 years living within both city and municipal areas.

During the press conference, several officials spoke about the importance of this campaign, including NCC Secretary Nur Kutubul Alam, EPI Officer Nasir Uddin, Murshida Akter, and Hafiz Uddin Khan.
Nur Kutubul Alam emphasized that Bangladesh has become a global role model in mass vaccination programs, highlighting the country’s ability to administer vaccines efficiently to millions of people in an organized manner. He also urged media professionals to play an active role in combating misinformation and rumors surrounding vaccines, which often create unnecessary fear among the public.

Data presented at the event revealed the alarming impact of typhoid in Bangladesh. Each year, an estimated 500,000 people in the country contract typhoid fever, resulting in around 8,000 deaths. The majority of those affected are children under 15 years of age. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 survey, Bangladesh recorded 477,518 typhoid cases, meaning approximately 290 cases per 100,000 people. Notably, 61 percent of these cases were children below 15 years.

Speakers also warned about the rapid rise in drug-resistant typhoid cases both in Bangladesh and globally. They pointed out that Bangladesh currently has one of the highest typhoid infection rates in the world, making vaccination a crucial tool in preventing further outbreaks and protecting children’s health.