The director general of the Islamic Foundation, Mufti Muhammad Muhibbullahil Baqi Nadvi, has called for a broad campaign involving mosque imams and khatibs to raise awareness of measles-rubella vaccination and bring the outbreak under control. He spoke on Sunday at an advocacy and planning meeting with religious leaders at the Islamic Foundation in Agargaon, Dhaka, and promised the foundation's full support for the vaccination programme.
Speakers said timely vaccination is vital to protect children from preventable diseases such as measles and rubella. Imams, khatibs and Islamic scholars can play a big part in clearing up misconceptions about vaccines, they said, and mosque-based awareness can encourage parents to have their children vaccinated.
Dr Md Shamsuzzaman, senior national consultant at UNICEF, set out the meeting's purpose. Dr Rajib Sarkar, medical officer of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at the Directorate General of Health Services, presented the current measles-rubella situation and the vaccination work. A R M M Kamal, UNICEF's social and behaviour change officer, spoke on plans for district and upazila level, and Sarkar Sarowar Alam, director of the foundation's Imam Training Academy, gave the welcome address.
In an open discussion participants proposed ways to make the programme work in the field. The meeting closed with prayers for the campaign's success.
The report is from Ittefaq, drawing on the state news agency BSS.
Photo: Ferdous / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Ittefaq
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