In Bangladesh, childhood immunization has made remarkable progress over the years, ensuring that millions of children receive life-saving vaccines. Yet, a critical challenge remains—reaching the last mile to vaccinate zero-dose (ZD) and under-immunized (UI) children. The Country Learning Hub (CLH) in Bangladesh, working as part of the Zero-Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH), is taking steps to bridge this gap. With a commitment to ensuring immunization equity, CLH-Bangladesh is leveraging a powerful new resource: the Knowledge Translation (KT) Toolkit. 

Knowledge translation is the process of moving research into real-world action, ensuring that valuable findings are understood, adopted, and used effectively. The KT Toolkit, developed by ZDLH, is designed to help researchers translate their findings into impactful solutions for immunization challenges. By making research more accessible and actionable, the toolkit supports policymakers, health workers, and frontline staff in Bangladesh to enhance immunization strategies and ensure that every child receives the vaccines they need. 

One of the biggest challenges in child immunization is the gap between generating knowledge and implementing solutions. Often, research findings remain within reports and publications, making it difficult for health professionals and policymakers to apply them effectively. The KT Toolkit aims to change this by guiding researchers to proactively plan and share their findings with relevant stakeholders. 

For CLH-Bangladesh, this means ensuring that evidence on zero-dose immunization reaches those who can make a difference—district health officers, immunization program managers, and frontline vaccinators. The toolkit provides a structured approach to KT, outlining steps such as setting clear objectives, identifying key audiences, and selecting appropriate dissemination strategies. By following this process, research findings can be used to refine immunization programs and address gaps in vaccine coverage. 

Bangladesh has achieved high immunization coverage, with vaccines like BCG, DPT, and Pentavalent protecting millions of children against deadly diseases. However, ensuring that every last child is vaccinated requires targeted efforts. Zero-dose children—those who have never received a single vaccine—are often from marginalized communities, making outreach efforts crucial. 

CLH-Bangladesh recognizes that frontline health workers play a key role in reaching these children. The KT Toolkit emphasizes early engagement with these workers, ensuring that research findings align with their practical needs. By incorporating their insights and experiences, the toolkit helps shape strategies that are both effective and implementable at the grassroots level. 

Effective policymaking relies on timely and relevant evidence. The KT Toolkit helps bridge the gap between research and decision-making by providing step-by-step guidance on how to tailor messages for different audiences. Whether it is a policy brief for government officials or training materials for health workers, the toolkit ensures that information is presented in a way that drives action. 

CLH-Bangladesh is committed to using the KT Toolkit to inform national immunization strategies and strengthen routine immunization efforts. By fostering collaboration between researchers, health workers, and policymakers, the initiative aims to accelerate progress toward universal immunization coverage. 

The Knowledge Translation Toolkit is more than just a resource—it is a catalyst for change. By equipping stakeholders with the tools they need to apply research findings effectively, it strengthens Bangladesh’s immunization system and brings the country closer to its goal of reaching every child with life-saving vaccines.  

Reference: 

Knowledge translation for zero-dose immunization research [Internet]. Adobe Express. [cited 2025 Feb 11]. Available from: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/rYqieQBAM5mlN