Govt to vaccinate 35 lakh more children against measles

The government plans to vaccinate another 35 lakh children against measles, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhith said today.

Around two crore children have already been covered under the immunisation drive, he said while speaking at a measles-rubella vaccination campaign programme in the Dhala's Korail area

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UNICEF with support from the US Embassy in Dhaka, GAVI, and the Dhaka North City Corporation organised the event.

The state minister said the government was working to contain the outbreak and expected measles-related deaths to decline soon.

Speaking about the dengue outbreak, the state minister said, "Unlike previous years, we began preparations four months in advance based on data and projections, including warnings of a possible October peak."

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"We have strengthened prevention efforts, trained 2,000 doctors, and issued treatment guidelines. While the risk remains, the outbreak has so far been less severe than in recent years."

Charge d'Affaires at the US Embassy in Dhaka, Eric Geelan, said, "The United States is pleased to support the national vaccination campaign to fight the ongoing measles outbreak.

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"The campaign aims to vaccinate around 35 lakh children nationwide. Through the America First Global Health Strategy, we are supporting Bangladesh's efforts to protect at-risk children with life-saving vaccines and strengthen the country's capacity to prevent and respond to future disease outbreaks," he added.

"Bangladesh has made significant progress in tackling the measles outbreak, but around 3.4 million children still need to be vaccinated to close the immunity gap and prevent further illness and deaths from this preventable disease," said Miguel Mateos Munoz, chief of communication and advocacy at UNICEF.

"Our priority now is to reach every vulnerable child, strengthen routine immunisation through the programme, and continue supporting the government's efforts to achieve the vaccination coverage needed to end the outbreak," he said.

"We are bringing children who were left out of previous vaccination drives under the measles-rubella campaign through targeted outreach, including ambulance services," said Md Shafiqul Islam Khan, administrator of the Dhaka North City Corporation.

"Following the government's decision to intensify efforts to contain the outbreak, we are working closely with the Directorate General of Health Services to identify unvaccinated children and ensure they receive the vaccine," he said, expressing hope that the remaining work would be completed by the end of the campaign with full support from the city corporation.