9 million doses of ham vaccine procured, vaccination to begin Sunday: Health Minister

In the context of the increase in infections, a nationwide measles vaccination program will be started from next Sunday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said.

He gave this information at a press conference organized at the conference room of the Ministry of Health at the Secretariat on Wednesday (April 1).

The minister said, we are starting an emergency vaccination campaign from next Sunday. To successfully conduct this program, the leave of all field-level health workers has been canceled from Thursday. There will be no leave.

He also said that the workers engaged in the vaccination program will work in the field under the supervision of local officials.

The health minister said, 9 million doses of measles vaccine have been collected. Out of this, vaccines will be sent on priority to the upazilas where the infection is high. He also said that the necessary equipment including syringes will be delivered to the concerned areas between Wednesday and Thursday.

According to official data, the first measles patient was identified in the Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar on January 4 this year. Later, an alert was issued in the area on January 10. After that, the infection also started increasing in various slum areas of the capital.

At the end of last month, a visit to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in the capital's Mohakhali showed that the number of patients was higher than the beds, a large part of whom were children infected with measles.

According to the health department, children are the most affected by this viral disease. Child deaths have also been reported in several districts including Rajshahi and Mymensingh.