DHAKA, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Valid immunization coverage in Bangladesh remains high, with almost 84 percent of children receiving their vaccines by 12 months of age, according to a new report published here Thursday by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
According to the report titled "The State of the World's Children 2023: For Every Child, Vaccination," valid coverage is when a child receives all vaccines due in their first 12 months.
In Bangladesh, health services were initially impacted when the country went into pandemic lockdown in March 2020, leading to coverage falling below 50 percent in the following months, said the report.
However, with the support from UNICEF, the Bangladeshi government moved quickly to address the decline in immunization, and the monthly uptake of vaccines surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels by October 2020.
According to the report, the number of zero-dose children in the South Asian country is 30,000, or less than 1 percent, of children aged under one year.
Coverage in hard-to-reach areas and urban slums remain low compared to the national coverage, it said.
In 2022, UNICEF said it delivered 173 million childhood vaccine doses for a value of 80 million U.S. dollars.
The success of the child immunization program in Bangladesh is a testament to what is possible when there is sustained political commitment and a well-trained and motivated health workforce, said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative to Bangladesh.
"UNICEF will continue to support the country in the coming years as it moves towards self-financing of childhood vaccinations," Yett added. ■