Bangladesh's health system is coming back strong from the pandemic's disruptions, with signs that for some Bangladeshis, the pandemic has come as an object lesson on the value of vaccination.

"In the past, I was scared about taking any type of vaccines due to some superstitions. But when a number of people were dying from the COVID-19 disease, then I took the vaccine," said Shome Khatun, a housewife in Kazipur village, in central Bangladesh's Pabna district.

She added, "After taking the COVID-19 vaccine, I realised the significance of taking vaccine to prevent diseases. I was also inspired to get the routine vaccines for my baby girl, and she has been inoculated with EPI vaccines."

For years, Bangladesh has maintained a relatively high rate of protection with basic vaccines, with WHO and UNICEF data pegging rates of immunisation with the third dose of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus-containing vaccine (DTP3) – the conventional yard-stick for vaccine coverage in general – at between 93% and 98% every year since 2005. But between the lockdowns, economic disruptions, and worries about infection that came with the arrival of SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, the country's immunisation programme was set to be tested.