YANGON- The Ministry of Health and Sports will be spending US$ 10 million to purchase vaccines including polio vaccination for the 2019-20 fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

“The Health and Sports Ministry is now planning to immunize against diarrhoea in January. Moreover, we will be giving free cervical cancer vaccine to women in July 2020. In this fiscal year, the government is going to spend US$ 10 million on the vaccines including polio disease,” said Dr Myint Htwe, Minister of Health and Sports.

“Geneva-based Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, had provided over US$ 32 million to implement an immunization program in Myanmar, largely focusing on cold storage chain facilities. The program covered 76 percent of the total cost,” said Manager Dr Htar Htar Lin from the Extended Vaccination Program.

Gavi presented US$ 110 million to Myanmar for the Extended Vaccination Program from 2018 to 2021. The Ministry of Health and Sports had spent US$ 6.7 million on the extended vaccination program within 2016-2017 fiscal years.

Gavi, together with the government, had so far used US$ 46.3 million for the vaccination programs.  

Dr Htar Htar Lin also said that vaccine coverage among the children was about 80 to 90 percent in the country with some children not going through the vaccinations according to schedule.

The government’s free immunization program provides 11 types of vaccines such as BCG, 5-in-1 (diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, hepatitis B and encephalitis), polio, pneumonia, measles and rubella and Japanese encephalitis for infants up to 18 months old.