This was revealed at a dissemination function on EPI Coverage Evaluation Survey (CES)'06 at a city hotel yesterday.

Speaking as chief guest at the function, Health and Family Welfare Adviser Major General (retd) Dr ASM Matiur Rahman said the children will be given a package of vaccines very soon to prevent 10 diseases.

"We have already started the programme of Hepatitis B vaccine. It will be followed by HIB very soon to prevent pneumonia. Our sincere efforts will be to ensure vaccines for meningitis too," he said.

The CES shows 71 percent of 12-23 months' old children were fully immunised with valid doses of all antigens.

In rural areas, the valid full immunisation rate was the highest in Khulna division and lowest in Sylhet division, while in urban areas the valid fully immunisation rate was the highest in Khulna City Corporation and the lowest in Rajshahi City Corporation.

Of the fully vaccinated children, 98 percent got BCG, 97 percent DPT1, 95 percent for DPT2, 84 percent DPT3, 97 percent oral polio vaccine (OPV), 96 percent OPV2 and 92 percent OPV3.

Aiming at reducing child mortality and morbidity from Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs), the government started EPI in 1979.

Currently, children are being given vaccines for diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, tuberculosis, polio, measles and jaundice.

From two percent vaccination coverage in 1971, now Bangladesh has ensured 71 percent with the vision to fulfil the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the child and maternal mortality rate, said the speakers.

They said the programme is saving 4 million children from premature death and disabilities annually.

The survey, conducted by ACNielson Bangladesh in collaboration with EPI, WHO and UNICEF, was carried out in all the 64 districts and six city corporations between July and September 2006.

Civil surgeons of Satkhira, Feni, Naogaon, Tangail, Bogra, Shariatpur were awarded in the best performing district category while the Civil surgeons of Khulna and Rajshahi were given awards in the city corporation category for the maximum coverage.

Presided over by Health and Family Welfare Secretary Ehsan-Ul-Fattah, the function was also addressed by Director General of Health Services Dr Md Shahjahan Biswas, Managing Director of ACNielson Dr Khalid Mahmud, acting country representative of WHO Khalid Hasan, UNICEF Representative Louis Georgs Arsenault and Director Dr Md Sukuruddin Mridha.