The Pandemic Fund

Background

Bangladesh was awarded US$25 million from the Pandemic Fund to strengthen the country’s prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) capabilities. The grant mobilized an additional US$423.5 million in co-financing from multilateral and global health institutions, as well as US$100.2 million in co-investment from the government’s own budget. The project brought together a wide range of partners, such as the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and One Health Bangladesh. 

Located at the junction of South and Southeast Asia, Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It is also host to high livestock density and rich biodiversity, all of which present public health challenges. The close proximity of humans and animals drives up the risk of zoonotic disease, including threats such as avian flu. The country's hot climate and limited sanitation further raise the risk of disease spread, and the COVID-19 pandemic exposed shortcomings in the country’s ability to respond effectively, namely: inadequate surveillance, laboratory, and health workforce capabilities.  

In keeping with the ethos of the Pandemic Fund, Bangladesh’s project seeks to strengthen its public health system through multisectoral cooperation. The project is led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, alongside the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. It also enjoys the support of three implementing entities: the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Bank.  
 

Project objectives

With the support of project partners, Bangladesh aims to reduce the risk of a pandemic emerging from within its borders by operationalizing the Bangladesh One Health Surveillance and Early Warning System (BOHSEWS) and associated laboratory network. 
 

Implementation arrangements and key components

Bangladesh's project aligns with the Pandemic Fund’s three priorities -- surveillance, laboratory systems, and workforce development – as well as the underlying One Health theme. Additional detail on all project components follows.   

1. Establishing a collaborative One Health surveillance and early warning system. This work focuses on designing and building the BOHSEWS itself. It also entails developing community-based surveillance systems and implementing an integrated, collaborative surveillance strategy.   

2. Speeding up the identification and characterization of pathogens. This work includes developing a functional laboratory network, building capacity at national and subnational laboratories, improving biosafety and biosecurity, aligning with Good Laboratory Practice, and ensuring that laboratory waste is disposed of properly. 

3. Reinforcing the One Health workforce. The focus of the project’s capacity-building efforts will be on surveillance and early warning, laboratory skills, and risk communication, with an emphasis on training at the community level. 

4. Mitigating the risk of priority public health threats. This work focuses on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), endemic zoonoses, and vector-, food-, and water-borne illnesses. Activities include strengthening AMR stewardship and surveillance, expanding the country’s integrated bite case management program, conducting large-scale dog vaccination campaigns, improving clinical management of vector-, food-, and water-borne illnesses, and ensuring veterinary regulation of livestock production practices.