1.5mn doses of MR vaccine arrive, more shipments to arrive every week: minister

Vaccine shipments by UNICEF will arrive on a weekly basis until September, he says

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said that 1.5 million doses of the measles rubella (MR) vaccine have arrived in Bangladesh. In addition, 9,000 tetanus and diphtheria (Td) series vaccines have also arrived.

From now on, new vaccine shipments will arrive in the country every week, he said at a briefing after receiving the MR vaccine shipment from UNICEF at the VIP lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Wednesday.

The health minister said that about 18 million more doses of MR, Td, BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin), TCV (for typhoid), bOPV (Bivalent oral polio vaccine) and Penta vaccine (protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B) will arrive in the country on May 10. UNICEF plans to complete the full vaccine supply by September.

Sardar said, “I am happy to inform you that the government has already provided 83.6 million US dollars to UNICEF, through which 95 million doses of 10 types of vaccines are being procured.

"Given UNICEF's global capacity, we have decided to procure the remaining 35 million US dollars’ worth of additional vaccines through UNICEF after the cancellation of the open tender."

He said that there is currently no shortage of vaccines in the country and there is no risk of shortage in the future.