With measles still spreading, a second round of the special measles-rubella vaccination campaign began across Bangladesh on Saturday, aiming to vaccinate about 3.4 million children aged six to 59 months. It runs until 31 October and will also reach children missed by routine immunisation.

According to the health and family welfare ministry, Health Minister Sardar Md Shakhawat Hossain was to open the Special Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign 2026 at the T&T playground in Korail, Banani, Dhaka.

The ministry said the first round, from April to 20 May with technical support from UNICEF, Gavi and the World Health Organization, exceeded its target of 18 million children. A later vitamin A campaign found about 4.3 million children had missed the measles jab; a mop-up reached 1.9 million of them. The remaining 2.4 million, plus about 1 million babies who turned six months in the past three months, make up this round's target of 3.4 million.

The minister said a further 4.3 million doses arrived from UNICEF on 10 September. With 1.5 million already in central storage, 5.8 million doses are on hand; even allowing 10 per cent wastage, about 5.2 million usable doses will remain, leaving a surplus after the target is met.

By the Directorate General of Health Services' figures of 25 September, measles and measles-like illness had killed 1,084 people this year, 101 of them confirmed measles cases, with 185,833 suspected and 21,015 confirmed infections.

Photo: Press Information Department / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Source: Dainik Bangla