A nationwide special measles vaccination campaign will commence across Bangladesh at 10am on 26 September, targetting 3.4 million children aged 6 to 59 months.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain announced the campaign target during a press briefing held at the Secretariat conference room on Sunday afternoon.
Providing background on the drive, Sakhawat explained that an earlier measles vaccination programme conducted between April and 20 May aimed to cover 18.5 million children.
Subsequent data from a Vitamin A capsule campaign, which administered doses to 22.3 million children, identified that 4.3 million children had missed out on vaccination.
Although a follow-up mop-up campaign vaccinated 1.9 million of these missing children, an additional 1.0 million newly eligible infants reaching six months of age were calculated into the current 3.4 million target.
To meet the requirement of 3.4 million doses, the health department currently holds a stock of 5.2 million vaccine doses.
“I need 3.4 million vaccines, and I have 5.2 million vaccines; with these 5.2 million doses, we are launching a massive nationwide campaign from 10am on the 26th,” Sakhawat said.
The campaign is scheduled to run from 26 September to 31 October, with mop-up operations continuing afterwards using stored vaccines if necessary. “Even after achieving the 3.4 million target, we will continue searching for anyone remaining; this is not the end,” he added.
To ensure maximum reach, health workers will not remain confined to fixed centres but will actively search inside villages to locate unvaccinated children.
Local administrative and health officials – including Deputy Commissioners, Civil Surgeons, Hospital Directors, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers, and Upazila Executive Officers – will be directly involved in executing the programme.
Addressing clinical management, Sakhawat noted that there is no new specific treatment protocol for measles.
For infected children who develop pneumonia, treatment includes fever medications, ventilators, or CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) support as required.
He highlighted that malnutrition increases the risk of respiratory distress when pneumonia occurs, adding that implementing CPAP devices costing just 150 taka has saved the lives of many children.
Sakhawat added that the majority of hospitalised measles patients are unvaccinated. “I invite you to go into the hospital and ask the patient; 99% are unvaccinated,” he stated.
He stressed that vaccination activities will continue uninterrupted without stopping for even a single day, as it takes three to four weeks for antibodies to form in the body following vaccination.
To manage any potential surge in cases, mobile hospitals have been kept ready in district towns and major cities, including Dhaka, supported by adequate stocks of saline and medicines to prevent supply shortages.
Furthermore, Sakhawat assured that reported fatalities due to alleged negligence are under investigation. “Every death occurring across Bangladesh due to anyone’s negligence is being investigated; it will take a little time, and a little time must be given,” he explained.
