Measles shot drive begins tomorrow in Dhaka, Barisal, Mymensingh cities
The government is to launch a special measles-rubella vaccination drive in Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Mymensingh, and Barishal city corporations tomorrow amid a surge in measles cases and deaths.
Around 12.20 lakh children aged six months to under five years are expected to be vaccinated under this initiative, according to Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Dhaka North has the largest target group, with 6,47,208 children expected to be covered. In Dhaka South, 4,65,098 children are targeted, while 62,336 children in Mymensingh and 45,319 in Barishal will also be brought under the campaign.
The special drive will be expanded nationwide from April 20 as deadly measles cases continue to rise. Earlier, the government had rolled out an emergency vaccination programme in 30 upazilas across 18 districts where infections were relatively high.
Amid the outbreak, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported the death of one patient who tested positive for measles, along with another suspected measles death, in the 24 hours to 8:00am today.
With these fatalities, DGHS so far this year has confirmed the deaths of 24 patients who tested positive for measles. It also reported the deaths of 145 patients with suspected measles.
The directorate recorded 888 new suspected cases today, bringing the total so far this year to 14,385. Confirmed cases stood at 2,489.
Health Secretary Md Quamruzzaman Chowdhury assured that the government has sufficient vaccine doses and logistics to carry out the planned drives.
“We have been working to contain the surge of measles,” he told reporters after attending a programme marking World Parkinson’s Day at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka.
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