Dhaka: A new nationwide measles vaccination campaign is set to commence on September 26, targeting 34 lakh children aged six months to 59 months. This initiative, announced by Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain at a press conference at the Secretariat, will run until October 31.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the minister highlighted that a previous measles vaccination campaign, conducted from April to May 20 with support from UNICEF, Gavi, and the World Health Organisation, achieved an impressive 102-104 percent of its goal, successfully vaccinating 1.8 crore children. Despite this success, a subsequent vitamin A campaign revealed a gap, with approximately 43 lakh children remaining unvaccinated during the initial effort.
To address this, a mop-up campaign vaccinated an additional 19 lakh children, leaving 24 lakh still in need of the vaccine. Furthermore, 10 lakh children who have turned six months old in the past three months are now eligible for vaccination, bringing the new campaign's target to 34 lakh children.
Minister Sakhawat announced that 43 lakh doses of the measles vaccine had been received from UNICEF on September 10, with an additional 15 lakh doses already in stock, totaling 58 lakh doses. He emphasized the comprehensive approach of the upcoming campaign, stating, "From 10 am on the 26th, we are going for a massive nationwide campaign. Children aged six to 59 months will be vaccinated. This time, we will not just stay at campaign centres; we will deploy people inside villages so that not a single child is left out."
The initiative will involve various stakeholders, including deputy commissioners, civil surgeons, hospital superintendents and directors, as well as upazila health and family planning officers and upazila nirbahi officers.
The minister stressed the importance of vaccination, revealing that a significant number of children affected by measles had not been vaccinated. "I visit hospitals, and 99 percent of the children are unvaccinated. Those who are now dying of measles did not receive the vaccine," he stated.
Although the WHO guideline generally recommends measles vaccination from nine months, the decision to lower the age to six months was made by the National Immunization Technical Advisory Committee (NITAG) due to the current situation. Children below six months will not be vaccinated due to potential health risks, and those above five years will not be included in the campaign, in accordance with WHO guidelines.
Addressing the preparedness of hospitals amidst rising cases of measles and dengue, Sakhawat assured that primary treatment for both diseases could be provided at the upazila level. However, he noted that many patients are bypassing local facilities and heading directly to tertiary hospitals in Dhaka. To counter potential crises, mobile hospitals are ready in districts and major cities, with the military prepared to assist if necessary.