DHAKA, Apr 6 : Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain told the Bangladesh Parliament that the sharp rise in measles cases in the country is primarily due to the prolonged vaccination gaps and administrative lapses in recent years, particularly under the previous interim government, where vaccination rates were noted to have fallen to an all-time low.
Responding to a notice raised by National Citizen Party (NCP) MP, Akhter Hossen, the minister said the last nationwide measles-rubella campaign was conducted in December 2020, and had not been repeated for more than five and a half years, despite a standard four-year cycle.
The long gap, he said, left a large portion of children, including newborns outside the ambit of immunisation coverage, making them vulnerable to infection.
The minister in his earlier remarks had suggested that vaccinations had not taken place for eight years, and acknowledged the confusion caused among health workers while reiterating that the core issue stemmed from a prolonged disruption during campaign cycles, reports The Business Standard BD.
Issuing a public notice, Akhter Hossen suggested that deaths, suspected to be measles-linked within the past three weeks stood at 115, with 20 confirmed cases.
He also alleged that thousands of children have been infected by the disease and highlighted serious gaps in healthcare facilities, including a lack of isolation wards, ICUs, and NICUs at district and upazila-level hospitals, particularly in the Rajshahi region.
Further concerns are brewing over the changing pattern of infections, with infections now taking root in infants as young as six months, even below the country’s starting vaccination age of nine months, raising questions about surveillance and early diagnosis.
In response, the government has launched an emergency vaccination campaign beginning April 5 in 30 high-risk upazilas across 18 districts, under the directive of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The first phase targets children aged six to 59 months, with a goal of reaching 1.2 million children.
“On the first day, 73,000 children were vaccinated against a target of 76,000 in 30 upazilas, achieving 96% coverage,” the Health Minister said.
The campaign is set to expand to major metropolitan centres including Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Barishal from April 12, followed by a nationwide rollout from May 3. Vitamin A supplementation is being administered alongside vaccinations.
The minister said measures are also being taken to strengthen hospital preparedness. Isolation wards have been established across government facilities, with an additional 250 beds being prepared in Rajshahi.
Efforts are underway to enhance ICU and ventilation capacity, alongside deployment of a low-cost oxygen delivery system developed by icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh).
To address vaccine shortages, the government is procuring doses on an emergency basis, with support from global institutions like the World Bank and UNICEF. Unspent funds from earlier allocations, including resources from the Covid-19 period, are being redirected to support procurement.
The minister also said leave for all health workers has been cancelled to ensure full mobilisation on the ground, while coordination with development partners has been intensified to contain the outbreak.
(UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
