Bangladesh has built a remarkable immunisation success story.
Its Expanded Programme on Immunisation, launched in 1979, has lifted childhood coverage from around 2 per cent to more than 80 per cent and eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus.
Yet introducing a new maternal vaccine presents a different challenge: two-thirds much of the country’s antenatal care is delivered through private facilities, creating a need for stronger links between maternal health services and established immunisation systems.
Aniqa Tasnim Hossain, Associate Scientist at ICDDR,B, shares findings from the MIRNA Consortium’s situational analysis for Bangladesh. She explains why private clinics cannot be overlooked, why immunisation and antenatal care services need to be better connected, and how trust in a familiar health worker could influence whether pregnant women accept a vaccine.