Vientiane:More than 100,000 doses of vaccines against pneumonia and cervical cancer have arrived in the Lao PDR, with Australian funding helping ensure children and adolescent girls continue to receive life-saving protection.

According to Lao News Agency, the Australian Government has provided US$455,826.52 in funding to help the Lao PDR secure 103,500 doses of essential vaccines, strengthening the country's national immunisation programme and supporting efforts to prevent serious diseases.

The support through UNICEF helped the Lao PDR meet its 2026 co-financing commitments to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for two important vaccines the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), which protects young children against pneumonia and other serious infections, and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which helps prevent cervical cancer later in life.

The handover ceremony was held at the Ministry of Health, attended by Dr Vansay Sattakhoun, Deputy Minister of Health; Ms Pranjali Palnitkar, Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in the Lao PDR; and Mr Bilal Aurang Zeb Durrani, UNICEF Representative to the Lao PDR.

The Minister of Health expressed gratitude to Australia for its timely support and to UNICEF for helping ensure the vaccines reached the country. He emphasized the government's commitment to protecting every child through immunization.

Of the 103,500 doses delivered, 30,000 doses of PCV reached provinces in July and are already being administered to children through routine immunisation services. The remaining 73,500 doses of HPV vaccine are being distributed to health facilities nationwide ahead of the HPV vaccination campaign scheduled for December 2026.

The delivery comes as countries worldwide intensify efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem, while pneumonia continues to be one of the leading causes of death among children under five.

Ms Palnitkar stated that vaccines are one of the smartest investments a country can make and reaffirmed Australia's commitment to its longstanding partnership with the Ministry of Health. UNICEF highlighted the importance of maintaining a reliable vaccine supply so that children and girls can access protection against preventable diseases.

Australia's contribution reinforces the importance of international cooperation in protecting children, safeguarding girls' health, and ensuring that essential vaccines reach communities across the country.