Mass vaccination and drug administration for malaria elimination in Bangladesh: design and implementation of a community engagement strategy.

@article{khalil2026mass,
  title = {{Mass vaccination and drug administration for malaria elimination in Bangladesh: design and implementation of a community engagement strategy.}},
  author = {Md Ibrahim Khalil and Md Fojle Rabby and Dewan Imtiaj Ahmed and Bipin Adhikari and Thomas J Peto and Phaik Yeong Cheah and Sazid Ibna Zaman and Richard J Maude and Md Amir Hossain and A K M Fazlur Rahman and Rasheda Samad and Aniruddha Ghose and Md Halimur Rashid and Md Mushfiqur Rahman and Rumana Rashid and Md Akramul Islam and Nicholas P J Day and Arjen M Dondorp and Lorenz von Seidlein and Md Abul Faiz and Rupam Tripura},
  journal = {Research involvement and engagement},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1186/s40900-026-00995-1},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958342},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Mass vaccination and drug administration for malaria elimination in Bangladesh: design and implementation of a community engagement strategy.
AU  - Md Ibrahim Khalil
AU  - Md Fojle Rabby
AU  - Dewan Imtiaj Ahmed
AU  - Bipin Adhikari
AU  - Thomas J Peto
AU  - Phaik Yeong Cheah
AU  - Sazid Ibna Zaman
AU  - Richard J Maude
AU  - Md Amir Hossain
AU  - A K M Fazlur Rahman
AU  - Rasheda Samad
AU  - Aniruddha Ghose
AU  - Md Halimur Rashid
AU  - Md Mushfiqur Rahman
AU  - Rumana Rashid
AU  - Md Akramul Islam
AU  - Nicholas P J Day
AU  - Arjen M Dondorp
AU  - Lorenz von Seidlein
AU  - Md Abul Faiz
AU  - Rupam Tripura
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/29
JO  - Research involvement and engagement
DO  - 10.1186/s40900-026-00995-1
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958342
AB  - Background  Community engagement is increasingly recognised as an essential element of health research in underserved settings, yet limited evidence describes how engagement strategies are designed, adapted, and implemented during large-scale intervention trials. This implementation case study describes the development, implementation, and iterative adaptation of a stakeholder and community engagement strategy embedded within a field trial of mass vaccination and drug administration (MVDA) for malaria elimination in Bangladesh.Methods  The cluster-randomised, open-label trial was conducted across 100 villages (~12,000 people) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. The paper draws on implementation records, field observations, meeting reports, and structured team reflections generated during programme delivery to describe the engagement process, key adaptations, implementation challenges, and lessons learned.Results  Early stakeholder engagement informed a context-specific engagement strategy that emphasised collaboration with village leaders, culturally tailored communication, responsiveness to community concerns, and integration of basic healthcare support. Throughout implementation, engagement activities were iteratively adapted in response to community feedback, rumours, seasonal livelihood demands, and local cultural and religious beliefs. These iterative approaches were followed by continued engagement across remote and culturally diverse communities, although persistent challenges included geographical isolation, social and political factors, complex trial messaging, competing livelihood priorities, and concerns regarding vaccination, including fears about fertility.Conclusions  Community engagement functioned as an adaptive and responsive process rather than a fixed intervention. These experiences provide transferable lessons for designing stakeholder and community involvement strategies for complex health research conducted in underserved and culturally diverse settings.
SN  - 2056-7529
ER  -