In October 2025, Bangladesh took an exciting step forward on the path to protect children from typhoid: introducing typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV). During the course of a four-week introduction campaign, 42.5 million children aged 9 months to 15 years received TCV across the country. The campaign achieved more than 97 percent coverage, reflecting the hard work of countless partners, government stakeholders, health workers, and volunteers.
The Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives (ideSHi) is proud to have contributed to this landmark campaign by coordinating communication and social mobilization activities to support TCV introduction. The success of this campaign underscores the power of working locally and engaging communities to introduce a new vaccine.
Building trust with local voices
Typhoid imposes a heavy burden in Bangladesh, causing nearly 8,000 deaths every year—the majority of which are in children younger than 15 years of age. TCVs are a safe, effective tool to prevent typhoid, including drug-resistant typhoid. In the lead-up to and during Bangladesh’s TCV introduction campaign, ideSHi worked with UNICEF, the Bangladesh Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), and other partners to ensure as many children as possible could access this powerful and proven intervention.
To build trust and enthusiasm for TCV, ideSHi encouraged schoolteachers, madrasa teachers, and religious leaders in Dhaka to be spokespeople for TCV in their communities. In Kamrangirchar thana, a densely populated area of Dhaka covering three city wards, ideSHi held an advocacy seminar for school headmasters with speeches from local leaders and Bangladesh’s former EPI program manager. At another advocacy session in Kamrangirchar, ideSHi engaged with teachers from the largest madrasa in the area.
These sessions prompted teachers to begin registering students to receive TCV and empowered them to answer questions from parents and caregivers about the vaccine. IdeSHi also held awareness sessions with religious leaders in Dhaka, coordinating with imams to share information about the TCV campaign before religious services.
Photo: ideSHi campaign workers hold an awareness session during Bangladesh’s TCV introduction campaign. Credit: TyVAC/Rofiqur Rahman.
Turning up the volume with creative outreach strategies
When the TCV campaign began, ideSHi amplified awareness through dynamic, creative activities: rickshaws broadcasting recorded audio messages circulated through neighborhoods, while volunteers used hand microphones in crowded areas and alleyways to announce details about vaccine eligibility and distribution. IdeSHi broadcast a customized awareness song about TCV, helping capture attention and generate enthusiasm for the campaign. In addition, ideSHi held school-based awareness sessions that were scheduled to align with early-morning drop-off so parents and caregivers could learn about TCV and ask questions before heading to work for the day.
IdeSHi volunteers supported the campaign on-site during vaccination days, assisting with registration and operations at schools and madrasas. Following the school-based portion of the campaign, volunteers extended their efforts with door-to-door outreach in neighborhoods across the city.
Photo: An ideSHi campaign worker stands with two children during Bangladesh’s TCV introduction campaign. Credit: TyVAC/Rofiqur Rahman.
An exciting milestone for Bangladesh
Introducing a new vaccine is never simple—and in Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, reaching as many children as possible with TCV required collaboration and creativity. By engaging trusted local voices, providing hands-on support for campaign activities, and leveraging creative tactics to spread awareness, ideSHi and our partners helped ensure that millions of children are now protected against typhoid. Going forward, TCV is now available for all infants as part of the routine immunization schedule. This achievement marks a pivotal step towards strengthening child health in Bangladesh and building a brighter future for children nationwide.
Cover photo: Children line up to receive TCV during Bangladesh’s TCV introduction campaign. Credit: TyVAC/Rofiqur Rahman.
