Tetanus vaccine plant

The WHO-supported plant which was set up in 1982 had withstood scrutiny by international experts twice in the past and was certified as having the international standards. Its importance to the National Immunisation Programme can hardly be exaggerated as around 16,000 newborns die of tetanus in the country each year. The plant used to produce 1,20,000 vials at a much cheaper cost (Tk 15 per vial) than what we are now paying for the imported vaccines.

A government official has been quoted in our report as saying, " international pressure and conspiracy are leading to the closure of the plant." While 'conspiracy' is too subjective a surmise, it is our belief that the government and the WHO would be able to arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement for restarting the plant. The WHO proposition that the government set up a national laboratory, which would act as the National Regulatory Authority, did not sound convincing to the decision-makers as the Drug Administration has been declared by the latter as NRA.

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What's, however, obvious from the latest round of correspondence beginning in February is that the issue is very much alive. The government and the WHO should not find it difficult to work out a plan that would remove any misgiving that might be there and pave the way for the plant to resume production. We believe all-out efforts should be made to reactivate the plant which was performing a crucially important role in the health sector, particularly when the country has achieved great success in the EPI.

The plant was set up with a view to solving a major health problem and now it must not be allowed to go waste when the need for it has only increased. Could we urge the WHO and the government to expedite the process of re-starting the project?