Prevent child mortality with mass vaccination

National Prof MR Khan yesterday said infectious diseases, the major cause behind child mortality, must be prevented through mass vaccination against diseases like pneumonia, rubella, rota virus and typhoid.
Vaccines for these diseases, being expensive, remain out of reach of low income people or the destitute and so the authority concerned should come forward in this regard, he said.
The professor was speaking at a discussion, “The need of research to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity: Opportunities and challenges in Bangladesh”, in University of South Asia in the city.
Child Sight Foundation and Centre for Global Child Health, Bangladesh jointly organised the discussion where the university Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof MA Muhit was present.
Speakers at the discussion underscored the need to explore effective ways of tackling child mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases.
Prof Robert Booy, head of the Clinical Research team at National Centre for Immunization Research and Surveillance of University of Sydney, Australia, presenting a keynote, shed light on the current and future challenges of vaccination.
He said developed countries have a greater access to vaccines for rota virus, typhoid and hepatitis but ironically developing countries can not afford these much needed vaccines.
He also underscored the need to implement vaccination programmes for influenza and tuberculosis in Bangladesh while increasing research to discover a vaccine for malaria.
An announcement was made on the opening of “Centre for Global Health, Bangladesh”, which would address the above mentioned issues and conduct research and utilise the results in advocating the right policies, at the discussion.