icddr,b

🌟 Three Years of Continued Compassion 🌟 For the third consecutive year, Alliance Finance PLC has generously contributed to the icddr,b Hospital Endowment Fund as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. A cheque handover ceremony was held at icddr,b’s Mohakhali campus in Dhaka, where Mr Kanti Kumar Saha, CEO of Alliance Finance PLC, formally handed over the donation to Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director of icddr,b. Senior representatives from both organisations were present during the occasion. We are truly grateful for this steadfast support, which stands as a powerful example of how sustained generosity can make a lasting impact on healthcare access. 💙

🚼Bangladesh Must Move Toward Updating Pneumonia Vaccine to Ensure Stronger Child Protection Experts from leading health institutions gathered at icddr,b on 16 October 2025, for a 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). The study, presented by Dr Md Zakiul Hassan, Associate Scientist at icddr,b’s Infectious Diseases Division and Principal Investigator, analysed data from four public tertiary-care hospitals to identify Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes currently causing infections among young children. 📊Findings show 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. 📈Data indicate that a move to PCV-13, PCV-15 or PCV-20 could substantially enhance protection, covering approximately 17 %, 19 % and 52% of currently circulating pneumococcal serotypes respectively. Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director at icddr,b, noted that pneumonia remains the biggest infectious killer of children worldwide and stressed the importance of prevention and evidence-based decision-making in guiding national immunisation strategies. Dr Firdausi Qadri, Senior Scientist at icddr,b and Chair of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG), moderated the discussion and explained that many countries are now transitioning to higher-valency pneumococcal vaccines that provide broader protection. 📌Experts observed that the shift in pneumococcal serotypes is a natural outcome of a successful vaccination programme, as the serotypes targeted by the current vaccine have become much less common. While PCV-10 is currently used in 35 countries including Bangladesh, PCV-13 has been adopted in 130, and newer formulations such as PCV-15 and PCV-20 have been introduced in 16 and 9 countries respectively. 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. 🔗Read more: https://lnkd.in/gsX78az3 #pneumonia #PneumoniaPrevention #pneumoniatreatment #pneumoniavaccine #vaccine #icddrb

🥣The story of MDCF originated from an idea —if the gut microbiome is relevant to obesity, could it also hold the answer to undernutrition? It came up in a discussion between Dr Tahmeed Ahmed of icddr,b, who has spent over two decades studying childhood malnutrition in Bangladesh, and Dr Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University in St. Louis, a pioneer in gut microbiome research. 🌟That exchange sparked years of studies and collaboration — leading to the development of MDCF-2, a microbiota-directed complementary food made with locally sourced ingredients. Proven to help undernourished children grow healthier and stronger, MDCF-2 is now reaching at-risk populations worldwide. 👉Read more: https://lnkd.in/gxcfpRek #TIMEBestInventions #TIMEBestInventions2025 #MDCF2 #icddrb #Innovation #GlobalHealth

🎥 What is Microbiota-Directed Complementary Food? How can it help restore gut health and promote growth in undernourished children? Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director of icddr,b, explains. 🌟Developed in collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis, this groundbreaking innovation has been named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 in the Social Impact category. 🔗Watch the video: https://lnkd.in/gkXnT66b #TIMEBestInventions #TIMEBestInventions2025 #MDCF2 #icddrb #Innovation #GlobalHealth

🚨 Breaking News! We’re proud to share that MDCF-2, developed by researchers from icddr,b and Washington University in St. Louis,USA, has been acknowledged in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 under the Social Impact category! Microbiota-Directed Complementary Food (MDCF-2), is an affordable food formulation that restors gut microbiomes to treat malnutrition. MDCF-2 is revolutionising malnutrition treatment — healing children, restoring human dignity, and nurturing peace worldwide. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gbKS8DE2 World Health Organization Gates Foundation #TIMEBestInventions #TIMEBestInventions2025 #MDCF2 #icddrb #Innovation #GlobalHealth

🌬️ Bangladesh Oxygen Summit calls for stronger governance and investment to ensure equitable access to medical oxygen for all To advance equitable access to safe and affordable medical oxygen, icddr,b organised the Bangladesh Oxygen Summit 2025 at the InterContinental Dhaka. The event, held under the theme “National Roadmap to Safe, Affordable and Reliable Medical Oxygen for All,” brought together policymakers, scientists, academicians, development partners, private sector and Government representatives to chart a collective plan for universal oxygen access. The Honourable Special Assistant to the Minister (State Minister rank), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Professor Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, attended the event as Chief Guest. The inaugural address was delivered by Dr Shams El Arifeen, Senior Scientist (Emeritus) at icddr,b and one of the senior authors of The Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Security. Established in 2022 following an icddr,b study led by Dr Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, Scientist, Maternal and Child Health Division at icddr,b, the Commission brings together 18 experts from academia, 40 advisors from diverse sectors, including researchers, practitioners and public health professionals. Its mission is to ensure that no one dies due to lack of oxygen, even during global health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. According to global analyses from the Commission, an estimated 373 million people worldwide require medical oxygen each year, including 105 million with acute medical conditions, 259 million undergoing surgery and 9 million dependent on long-term therapy. More than four out of five people in need of oxygen live in low- and middle-income countries. Hypoxaemia increases the risk of death nearly fivefold, yet only a fraction of patients in these settings receive oxygen when needed. Read More: https://lnkd.in/gbmaVkes...

📽️ Get a glimpse of the key highlights of icddr,b's Annual Report 2024! 👉 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gStmWN6Y #icddrb #annualreport #PublicHealth #icddrbAnnualReport2024

🎉On the 30th anniversary of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize, icddr,b is honoured to be celebrated among the laureates of the world’s largest humanitarian award. icddr,b received the prize in 2017 for its innovative approaches to tackling global health challenges affecting the most vulnerable communities. This honour continues to inspire our mission to improve health through innovative scientific research. #HiltonPrize #GlobalHealth #icddrb

🧪 Stakeholders Convene to Enhance Multipathogen Environmental Surveillance in Dhaka Environmental surveillance, such as wastewater monitoring, is emerging as more accurate and unbiased compared to clinical surveillance, helping track pathogen transmission, assess vaccination impact, build community awareness, and guide public health actions. 🏙️ In Bangladesh, the IEDCR and icddr,b, with support from the Gates Foundation, are implementing sewage surveillance in Dhaka to detect, report, and monitor infectious agents. From 2019 to 2025, the programme grew from 12 to 51 sites and advanced through three phases: monitoring polio, AMR and enteric pathogens, tracking SARS-CoV-2, and now focusing on multipathogens such as influenza, RSV, measles, and cholera. Today, IEDCR and icddr,b, in collaboration with the University of Virginia and Imperial College London, organised a stakeholder meeting titled “Stakeholder Engagement Meeting for Environmental Surveillance of Multipathogens in Dhaka.” The event brought together academics, government officials, and development partners to discuss progress, challenges, and the way forward for implementation. Dr Tahmina Shirin, Director, IEDCR welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of collaborative effort. 📊 Prof. Dr Mami Taniuchi from the University of Virginia shared updates on sewage surveillance, highlighting its major public health impacts—developing a digitised map of sewage system, guiding vaccination campaigns, supporting the national COVID-19 taskforce, and detecting COVID-19 case spikes at least a week ahead. “I am proud that this surveillance in Bangladesh is being considered a gold standard for many LMICs,” she said. 🛰️ Dr Lukas Von Tobel, Project Manager at Novel-T, Switzerland, noted that high-resolution imagery and AI can be used to map sewage systems and reduce fieldwork, with satellite, drone, and street-view imagery offering potential for identifying optimal sampling sites.The value of ultra–high-resolution imagery was highlighted by Dr Frank Pichel, Director at PLACE, USA, while Dr Somnath Chaudhuri from the University of Southampton stressed its importance for small-area population modelling. Prof. Dr Mahmudur Rahman, former Director of IEDCR, emphasised the need to explore cost-effectiveness while moderating a discussion where participants shared concerns and suggestions. Special Guest Prof. Dr Sheikh Sayidul Haque, Addl. Director General (Planning and Development), DGHS, stated this data, translated into policymaking, would help better prepare for emerging diseases and improve infectious disease management. Dr Md. Farhad Hussain, Director of Disease Control, DGHS, stated the surveillance should continue nationwide to guide timely actions. Dr Rashidul Haque, Senior Scientist at icddr,b, concluded saying, "a comprehensive approach and stronger scientific understanding, including AI, are essential to tackle emerging and re-emerging diseases for humankind’s survival".

icddr,b hosted a seminar titled “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights among Female Garment Workers Living in Urban Slums of Bangladesh: Insights from a Longitudinal Cohort Study” to present the findings of a 24-month cohort study on women working in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector on 29 September 2025. Conducted by AdSearch by icddr,b with support from Global Affairs Canada, this is the first study of its kind in Bangladesh. The research was carried out from August 2022 to December 2024 in areas under icddr,b’s Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System, specifically in the Korail and Mirpur slums of Dhaka and the Tongi slum of Gazipur. The study was carried out through surveys conducted every six months with a total of 778 garment factory workers aged 15-27 years. The study's key findings on reproductive health showed that two out of every three female garment workers were married before reaching 18 years of age, and nearly 65% of them had their first pregnancy before turning 18. Furthermore, about one in every three female workers experienced one-third of the participants reported at least one unintended pregnancy, while one in four had an experience of abortion or menstrual regulation procedure. 👉 Read More: https://lnkd.in/gdrQmEqh...