Singapore: Two new vaccines have been added to Bangladesh's national immunization program- Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) and an Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV). Health officials stated that the introductions will benefit more than 3 million children and will have a major impact on the reduction of under-5 mortality.

Mr Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi Vaccine Alliance, said, "Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of child mortality in Bangladesh, accounting for nearly 22 percent of deaths of children under the age of 5, so the introduction of pneumococcal vaccine will have a major positive impact on child survival."

The introduction of these two novel vaccines into Bangladesh's vaccine schedule is due to the support of WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners.

Mr N Paranietharan, WHO representative in Bangladesh, said, "The inclusion of IPV in routine immunization in Bangladesh would help maintain Bangladesh's polio-free status, and the introduction of cost-effective PCV would bring significant reduction in childhood diseases and deaths."