Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan on Thursday said mobile text messages and push notifications will be introduced to ensure that all children are brought under vaccination coverage.
He made the announcement while addressing a discussion meeting on strengthening Bangladesh’s immunisation system and tackling the ongoing 2026 measles outbreak at the DNCC auditorium, according to a press release.
The event was jointly organised by the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), UNICEF Bangladesh and the Health Protection Foundation.
The DNCC administrator said awareness campaigns at the grassroots level, including door-to-door outreach, are being intensified to make vaccination programmes more effective.
“We are planning to send vaccine-related information to parents through SMS and push notifications. Through coordinated efforts, no child will remain outside the vaccination programme,” he said.
Shafiqul Islam Khan also stressed the importance of coordinated efforts between government and non-government stakeholders to strengthen healthcare and immunisation services in urban areas.
Speakers at the programme highlighted Bangladesh’s achievements in immunisation, including the elimination of polio and tetanus, control of hepatitis, and high coverage rates for HPV and TCV vaccines.
Under the current EPI programme, vaccines against 12 diseases are being administered through nine antigens.
According to the EPI Coverage Evaluation Survey 2023, vaccination coverage in urban areas stands at 79 percent nationwide.
In DNCC areas, the coverage rate has reached 75.4 percent, marking an increase of 1.2 percent compared to 2019.
The discussion also focused on the ongoing measles-rubella outbreak. According to the latest data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the country recorded 44,260 suspected measles cases, 6,099 laboratory-confirmed infections and 268 suspected measles-related deaths as of 6 May.
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, speakers said measles infections have spread across 58 of the country’s 64 districts, with children under five considered the most vulnerable group.
Officials also noted that an emergency MR vaccination campaign targeting children aged six to 59 months began nationwide on 5 April, while the campaign in DNCC areas started on 20 April.
The speakers said Bangladesh’s immunisation programme has earned international recognition for reducing child and maternal deaths and preventing disabilities through effective vaccination initiatives.
Professor Md Rafiqul Islam of Jagannath University, UNICEF Immunisation Manager Riyad Mahmud, and Executive Director of the Shastho Shurokkha Foundation Nizam Uddin Ahmed attended the event, among others.
The session was conducted by Mahmudah Ali, while DNCC Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Imrul Qayes Chowdhury presided over the programme.
