Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday laid emphasis on collective efforts to ensure the immunization of all children across the globe to protect them from deadly communicable diseases.
"We must work together to make sure that all children around the world are immune from deadly communicable diseases," she said in a video statement, screened at GAVI's Global Vaccine Impact Conference: Raising Generation Immunity, held in the Spanish capital Madrid from June Tuesday-Thursday.
Mentioning that immunization is a great gift to the world's children, the prime minister said she supports the conference aiming to raise “Generation ImmUnity.”
She said Bangladesh has expanded basic immunization coverage up to 98% through excellent use of GAVI's support for rolling out vaccines and strengthening its health systems.
Around 80% of this amount has funded new vaccines against measles, polio and pneumonia, she said, adding: "We have a trained pool of workforce to administer vaccines."
Bangladesh observes National Immunization Day every year, the prime minister said, adding: "Our government has updated the National Immunization Policy with a focus on equity and social justice."
Referring to the partnership between Bangladesh and GAVI, which began in 2001, she said with GAVI's support, Bangladesh has now introduced HPV vaccines to fight against cervical cancer.
She added: "We have done pioneering work on cholera vaccines and have taken our experience to other countries."
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Sheikh Hasina called for recognizing pandemic vaccines as global public goods. "I hope the new International Pandemic Treaty will reflect that call," she said.
"We are supporting our local pharmaceutical industries to develop and produce effective pandemic vaccines at affordable prices," she said, adding: "We stand ready to partner with GAVI on innovation in immunization."
The Bangladesh premier recalled GAVI's support in vaccinating children of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar now sheltered in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina said she feels proud as Bangladesh received GAVI Alliance Awards in 2009 and 2012. "I consider it to be an honour to have been recognized as GAVI's Vaccine Hero in 2019."
She said: "My life's mission is to make our country safe, resilient and prosperous for our children and grandchildren."
She hoped that GAVI will continue to support Bangladesh to save its children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The prime minister also thanked the government of Spain and GAVI for organizing this Global Vaccine Impact Conference.
The Global Vaccine Impact Conference marks a critical milestone in GAVI's current strategic period.
Co-hosted by the government of Spain, the meeting will convene world leaders and immunization experts to take stock of the vaccine alliance's progress against key objectives and develop strategies to address the challenges and opportunities of the future.
The conference's theme, "Raising Generation ImmUnity,” celebrates the vaccine alliance's achievement in protecting a whole generation of children from potentially fatal infectious diseases since 2000.
