Sinovac donates 3.8 lakh doses of polio vaccine to Bangladesh

The Sinovac Foundation, a subsidiary of Chinese vaccine manufacturer Sinovac Biotech, has donated 3.8 lakh doses of polio vaccine to Bangladesh's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to support the country's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).

The vaccines were officially handed over at a ceremony at the Bangladesh Secretariat today (13 May).

Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Husain Bakul attended as chief guest, alongside Chinese Embassy Cultural Counsellor Li Shaopeng and Sinovac Chief Business Director Li Ning.

Officials said the shipment includes 76,616 vials of WHO-prequalified inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV), which have already been delivered to the EPI storage facility for nationwide distribution.

Speaking at the event, Sakhawat Hossain expressed gratitude to China and the Sinovac Foundation for the donation during what he described as a challenging period for Bangladesh's health sector.

"China has once again proven that it stands beside Bangladesh as an economic friend," he added.

He said Bangladesh is currently facing challenges from dengue, polio and hantavirus infections, but assured that there is no shortage of vaccines for diseases such as polio and tuberculosis.

Sakhawat further announced that a nationwide Vitamin A capsule campaign would begin shortly. He added that field hospitals have been kept ready to tackle a possible dengue outbreak, with plans to expand facilities if necessary.

Li Ning said Sinovac was proud to support Bangladesh's immunisation efforts, adding that the donation would help protect children and strengthen the country's polio eradication programme.