Pierre Claquin passes away

A long-time friend of Bangladesh Dr Pierre Claquin, a French citizen, who worked for small pox and poliovirus eradication in Bangladesh, died in Paris on February 4, aged 74.

He had been suffering from diabetes and kidney disease, said a press release.

Dr Pierre Claquin, a medical epidemiologist, public health specialist, and teacher, worked in many countries of Africa, and South and Central Asia including Bangladesh. He spent much of his professional career in Bangladesh working for primary health care, maternal-child health and expanded programme on immunization projects.

He first came to Bangladesh in 1972 to work as a medical officer when the country remained badly damaged by the Liberation War and the health care delivery system was literally non-existent. He was based in the remote upazila of Shariakandi, Bogura.

Afterwards, between 1975 and 2018, he had worked for several public health projects in Bangladesh supporting the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

He was also an internationally renowned photographer who loved to portray the life of marginalised people and their livelihoods. He had several photo exhibitions in Bangladesh that included "Borrowed faces", "The Eastern Gallery of the Berlin Wall", "1972-2002: The changing faces of Shariakandi", "Surviving Dreams: the struggling circus of Bangladesh".

Pierre spoke fluent Bangla. He left behind a host of relatives, friends, and colleagues in Bangladesh including renowned filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel, photographer Anwar Hossain and Nasir Ali Mamun.