China donates 383,080 doses of polio vaccine

China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, through its affiliated foundation, has donated 383,080 doses of inactivated polio vaccine to Bangladesh to support the country's Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) under the World Health Organization (WHO)-backed immunisation efforts.
 
The consignment, already delivered to EPI storage facilities, will be distributed across the country for child vaccination. Officials say the support will strengthen ongoing disease prevention programmes as the country continues its immunisation and public health campaigns, including measles, dengue and polio control efforts.

The vaccines were handed over to Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain at a ceremony held at the Health Ministry conference room at the Secretariat on Wednesday. 

Chinese Embassy Cultural Counsellor Li Shaopeng and Sinovac Biotech Chief Business Director Li Ning presented the documents related to the donation.

The shipment, consisting of 76,616 vials, has already arrived at the EPI storage facility and will later be distributed to vaccination centres across the country for administration to children.

Sinovac's inactivated polio vaccine received the WHO's prequalification in 2022. The company previously supplied the same vaccine to the United Nations and several international organisations as part of global polio eradication efforts.