The Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) in Bangladesh works to prevent infections and save lives. CHRF generates evidence on what causes diseases, and advocates for evidence-based policy decisions. Our advocacy based on data generated from our surveillance has facilitated introduction of two life-saving vaccines into the National Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) of Bangladesh. At CHRF, we strive to find the cause behind every infection, even those that evade traditional laboratory diagnostics - we are currently working towards creating an atlas of common pathogens in Bangladesh and designing new diagnostics. The impact we have had in saving lives in Bangladesh has received many national and international accolades, such as from the WHO, UNESCO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, American Society of Microbiology, and the Government of Bangladesh (Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award).
To prevent infections, our multidisciplinary team monitors where diseases are spreading, and investigate to understand how and why. Our work covers a range of topics, all aiming to promote and implement better healthcare in Bangladesh and worldwide.
Our disease detectives are hard at work every day to understand microorganisms which cause deadly diseases.
We learn more about microorganisms by looking at the molecular level to understand how they work.
Increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is one of the world’s biggest concerns, we monitor AMR and also seek novel antimicrobials.
Not all children who fall sick visit the hospital, so we look to the community as well to truly understand child health.
We use our generated data to advocate for evidence-based policy decisions. Our aim is to raise awareness and convert data to policy. Our work has brought the Hib vaccine to Bangladesh in 2009 and the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV10) in 2015, both of which have been incorporated into the National Immunization Program.