Experts stress introduction of updated pneumococcal vaccine for children

FE ONLINE REPORT

Experts from leading health institutions said on Friday emphasised introduction of an updated pneumococcal vaccine to ensure better protection and improved health outcomes for Bangladeshi children.

They said that at a icddr,b roundtable discussion on introducing higher-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in Bangladesh.

The dialogue focused on optimising vaccine-induced protection against circulating pneumococcal serotype and addressing the emerging challenge of serotype replacement.

The session followed a pneumococcal surveillance study jointly conducted by icddr,b and the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), with support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Findings showed that most pneumococcal serotypes now circulating in Bangladesh are not well covered by the existing PCV-10 vaccine, which has been successfully used in the national Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) since 2015.

While PCV-10 has substantially reduced illness and deaths caused by targeted serotypes, the pattern of circulating serotypes has evolved over time, prompting the need to expand protection through newer-generation vaccines.

Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director at icddr,b, stressed the importance of prevention and evidence-based decision-making in guiding national immunisation strategies.

Participants agreed that updating to a higher-valency vaccine would be a prudent, evidence-based step to sustain progress and ensure continued protection for Bangladeshi children.

Prof Dr Md Farhad Hussain, Director (Disease Control) at the Directorate General of Health Services, emphasised that with rising antimicrobial resistance, Bangladesh should update the vaccine to reduce antibiotic dependence through stronger prevention.

Dr Tahmina Shirin, Director of IEDCR, highlighted the need for robust surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases to guide timely updates.

Dr Nizam Uddin Ahmed, Chair of the Gavi CSO Steering Committee and NITAG member, said that moving to the next generation of PCVs is both logical and necessary but must consider cost-effectiveness and system capacity. He proposed that the findings be presented at the upcoming NITAG meeting.

Experts agreed that this evolution in vaccination strategy reflects scientific progress and ensures that immunisation programmes remain responsive to changing disease patterns.

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