CHRF began its journey of science and advocacy with a focus on pneumonia, the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age worldwide. In the past 16 years, we have not just successfully facilitated the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) vaccine in Bangladesh’s National Immunization program but we are still going strong in understanding its impact through newer technologies!
To share the results our research has produced with scientists worldwide working on pneumonia and pneumococcal diseases, eight CHRF team-members participated in the '13th Meeting of the International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases' in Cape Town, South Africa. Throughout the four-day event, our team showcased their research findings as the only Bangladeshi site for the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Project (GPS). CHRF's scientists, ranging from molecular biologists to mathematicians, discussed their generated data on the circulating serotypes in Bangladesh and its implications for vaccine impact.
For the conference, 7 research abstracts from CHRF were selected and 5 of our members received the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Travel Awards. Notably, our Associate Scientist Dr. Arif Tanmoy presented an E-spotlight poster titled, “Evolution of Pneumococcal Serotype-1 Population in Bangladesh: Insights from Genomic Analysis,” which provided a deep dive into the dynamic landscape of pneumococcal serotype-1 in Bangladesh. Moreover, scientist Dr. Yogesh Hooda’s talk at the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing (GPS) meeting illuminated the global genomic epidemiology of pneumococcal serotype 2 isolates spanning over three decades (1989-2022). This presentation underscored the importance of genomic surveillance in understanding the spread and evolution of pneumococcal diseases, providing a roadmap for future research and public health interventions.
CHRF is proud to have contributed to the discourse at the 13th ISPPD. Inspired by the collaborative spirit and scientific excellence witnessed in Cape Town, we look forward to continuing the fight against pneumonia and pneumococcal diseases every day. From conducting genomic surveillance of pneumonia to evaluating the impact of the PCV-10 vaccine in Bangladesh, all of us at CHRF will persist in our efforts to combat these diseases.
