Dhaka: The government has successfully administered measles vaccines to 1,97,71,720 children across the country in a five-month period as part of the ongoing measles-rubella vaccination programme. This achievement surpasses the initial vaccination target by approximately 10 percent.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the vaccination campaign was launched in response to a measles outbreak at the end of March. The emergency programme commenced on April 5, initially covering 30 upazilas in 18 districts. The second phase began on April 12 in four major city corporations-Dhaka South, Dhaka North, Barishal, and Mymensingh. The third and final phase, a nationwide measles-rubella vaccination drive, started on April 20, as confirmed by officials from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The government plans to initiate another large-scale vaccination campaign on September 26 to combat the persistent measles outbreak. Initially, the programme aimed to vaccinate around 1.8 crore children across the nation. However, due to effective government initiatives, the number of vaccinated children has exceeded the target.
Data from DGHS indicates that the original goal was to vaccinate 1,80,15,064 children against measles and rubella. By September 13, the vaccination count had reached 1,97,71,720. The integrated control centre for the measles-rubella vaccine reports varying numbers across divisions: 11,10,698 in Barishal, 48,41,924 in Chattogram, 49,19,913 in Dhaka, 16,95,779 in Khulna, 15,30,916 in Mymensingh, 22,13,197 in Rajshahi, 20,73,488 in Rangpur, and 13,85,805 in Sylhet.
In city corporation areas, the figures are as follows: 44,119 children vaccinated in Barishal city, 3,36,870 in Chattogram city, 48,643 in Cumilla city, 5,57,688 in Dhaka North city, 4,18,972 in Dhaka South city, 2,06,927 in Gazipur city, 83,697 in Narayanganj city, 96,792 in Khulna city, 62,305 in Mymensingh city, 63,059 in Rajshahi city, 82,253 in Rangpur city, and 72,349 in Sylhet city.
DGHS Additional Director General Professor Dr. Zahid Raihan expressed that vaccinating children is an ongoing priority. He emphasized that the upcoming mass vaccination effort starting September 26 is a significant step to ensure comprehensive coverage, with the primary goal of leaving no child unvaccinated.