Typhoid Vaccine Joins Routine EPI From 1 August

Bangladesh will include the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) in its routine Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) from August 1, allowing children aged 15 months to receive the vaccine free of charge through government immunisation services.

According to a directive issued by the EPI on Sunday, children will receive a single dose of TCV during the same immunisation session as the second dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR-2) vaccine.

Until now, parents had to purchase the typhoid vaccine from private healthcare providers as it was not part of the government's routine immunisation programme.

The decision follows the successful nationwide TCV campaign conducted in 2025, which covered the vast majority of eligible children.

The inclusion of TCV in the routine EPI schedule was approved following recommendations by the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) Bangladesh on December 8 last year and later endorsed by the Inter-agency Coordination Committee (ICC) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Under the new guidelines, all children aged 15 months will receive one intramuscular dose of TCV in the left thigh at permanent and outreach EPI centres across the country.

Health workers have been instructed to prepare lists of eligible children, conduct household visits before vaccination sessions and ensure all beneficiaries are identified.

To strengthen digital immunisation management, they have also been directed to register children through the VaxEPI app, download vaccine cards and update vaccination records in the Smart Health BD/E-Tracker system.

According to the directive, the vaccine will be supplied in five-dose vials and stored at temperatures between 2°C and 8°C. Opened vials may be reused in subsequent sessions under the Multi-Dose Vial Policy (MDVP), subject to prescribed conditions, to minimise vaccine wastage.

The EPI has also instructed health authorities to incorporate TCV-related information into the DHIS2 reporting system.

To maximise coverage, local representatives, teachers, imams, religious leaders and community representatives have been asked to support awareness campaigns through household visits, public announcements, courtyard meetings and other community outreach activities.

In October 2025, Bangladesh launched its first nationwide Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine campaign, immunising more than 42.5 million children aged between nine months and under 15 years.