The two-day workshop was organized on September 1 and 4. Photo : ICDDR,B

DHAKA, Sept 5, 2025 (BSS) - Experts at a workshop laid emphasis on inclusion of influenza vaccine in national clinical guidelines and health strategies for treatment of at-risk populations in Bangladesh.
 
They expressed this view at the workshop titled 'Role of influenza vaccine in treatment of priority at-risk populations in Bangladesh: Future directions' in the city, said a press release.
 
Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) with technical assistance from the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention organised the workshop.
 
The two-day workshop was organized on September 1 and 4.
 
The workshop revealed that seasonal influenza causes serious illness to about 5 million people worldwide every year and causes about 650,000 deaths. 
 
A recent survey conducted in 19 hospitals in Bangladesh found that up to 59 percent of patients admitted to hospitals with fever and cough in June 2025 were infected with influenza, which is significantly higher than in previous years.
 
The period from April to September (summer to monsoon) is marked as the influenza season in Bangladesh every year.
 
According to experts, it is very important for at-risk populations - the elderly above 60 years, children below 5 years, pregnant women, healthcare workers and people with diabetes, heart disease, respiratory and kidney diseases - to get vaccinated in February-March to ensure maximum protection before the season starts. 
 
Although the World Health Organization emphasizes regular annual influenza vaccination as the most effective preventive measure for this at-risk group, the vaccination rate in Bangladesh is still very low due to lack of awareness, policy gaps and various procedural challenges.
 
On the first day of the workshop, specialists in internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, nephrology and respiratory medicine took part in discussion. Their goal was to formulate a strategy to include influenza vaccination in routine clinical care for the treatment of at-risk populations.
 
On the second day, IEDCR Director Professor Dr. Tahmina Shirin presented the results of hospital-based influenza surveillance that began in 2007. 
 
She said that the peak of transmission occurs in June-July and timely vaccination can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality in the at-risk population.
 
She said that vaccination for this population is economically viable and cost-effective in Bangladesh.
 
 Professor Tahmina Shirin emphasized on the timing of vaccination, saying that vaccination in February-March is very important to ensure maximum protection before the season.
 
Specialist physicians identified several major barriers to influenza vaccination uptake. These include unavailability and high cost of vaccines, fear of side effects, lack of awareness, cold chain and storage problems, and lack of national and institutional policies.
 
They proposed to address these barriers by publishing national data through research, increasing vaccine availability and reducing prices, awareness programs through media and social media, advocacy through expert and medical societies, and inclusion of influenza vaccine in national treatment guidelines.
 
ICDDR,B researcher Dr. Md. Zakiul Hasan said that healthcare providers are four times more at risk of infection than the general public. However, the vaccination rate among them is still worryingly low.