In a significant step towards modernising child health services, Bangladesh has introduced VaxEPI, an integrated digital platform designed to manage vaccine registration and immunisation information nationwide. Launched by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in 2024, VaxEPI represents a new era of precision, accountability, and accessibility in the country’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).
For the first time, Bangladesh’s routine EPI and special immunisation campaigns have come under one unified digital system. Whether it’s a newborn receiving BCG, a toddler’s Pentavalent dose, or a school-age child’s Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV), each vaccination event is digitally recorded and connected through a Unique Health ID.
At the heart of VaxEPI lies a simple but powerful concept: “one-time registration for every child.” Each registration is verified against the child’s Birth Registration Number (BRN) to ensure identity integrity and eliminate duplication. Once registered, the system assigns a Unique Health ID through the Shareable Health Record (SHR) platform.
Families receive a QR-coded vaccine card, which acts as a lifelong digital key. Vaccinators simply scan the QR code to retrieve a child’s vaccination record, administer the due doses, and update the data instantly. This ensures every vaccination is recorded in real time and reflected across the Health Information Exchange (HIE) network, keeping the child’s health record accurate and up to date.
“VaxEPI makes every vaccine count,” said an EPI official. “Parents can now access their child’s full vaccination history from anywhere, and health workers can plan better with reliable, real-time data.”
Bangladesh has achieved remarkable success in routine immunisation, but reaching the last mile, especially Zero-Dose (ZD) and Under-Immunised (UI) children, remains a challenge. VaxEPI directly addresses this by linking data across health facilities and campaigns. With every child registered digitally and tracked longitudinally, the system helps ensure no child misses a vaccine.
The platform’s integration also supports better planning for national immunisation drives, such as the upcoming Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine campaign, while strengthening routine programs for vaccines like DPT, OPV, PCV, and MR. For health authorities, it provides powerful analytics tools to monitor vaccination trends, identify coverage gaps, and ensure equity across urban and rural communities.
VaxEPI is more than just a record-keeping tool, it’s a comprehensive digital ecosystem. Through its public portal, guardians can register children, download vaccination certificates, and receive reminders for upcoming doses via SMS or notifications. On the provider side, vaccinators, managers, and analysts work seamlessly through role-based dashboards that track coverage, logistics, and performance.
The system ensures data privacy and security, using encrypted channels and role-based access control, while maintaining compliance with national data protection policies. VaxEPI’s success lies in its collaborative design, developed under DGHS/MIS leadership, with interoperability between SHR, HIE, and other digital health systems.
As Bangladesh continues its journey toward universal immunisation, VaxEPI stands as a testament to innovation in public health. By ensuring that every vaccine is tracked, every child is counted, and every dose reaches its destination, the platform strengthens Bangladesh’s vision for a healthier, more equitable future.
Reference:
VaxEPI: Integrated Vaccine Registration & Vaccination Information (Bangladesh). Gov.bd. [cited 2025 Oct 19]. Available from: https://git.dghs.gov.bd/riaz.somc/chatbot-knowledge/raw/commit/96e02f2bce8c1aa32f3deadee103ec5b53365c21/vaxEPI.pdf