Nationwide special measles vaccination drive launched targeting 3.4m children

A nationwide special measles-rubella vaccination campaign began on Saturday (September 26) to reach about 3.4 million children who were missed by earlier immunisation efforts, as the country continues to grapple with a prolonged measles outbreak.

The month-long campaign, titled “Intensified MR Catch-up Vaccination”, will run until October 31 and target children aged six months to below five years who have not received the vaccine or were missed during previous campaigns.

Children who reach six months of age during the campaign period will also be brought under coverage.

The campaign comes more than six months after the outbreak began in March. An earlier nationwide vaccination drive, conducted with support from UNICEF, Gavi and the World Health Organization, reached millions of children, but health authorities later identified significant gaps in coverage.

The new campaign is intended to find and vaccinate those who remain outside the existing lists, including through field-level and household visits.

The latest Directorate General of Health Services data show that the outbreak remains severe. Since March 15, 185,833 people have been identified with suspected measles or measles-like symptoms, while 21,015 cases have been laboratory-confirmed. The combined number of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths has reached 1,084, including 101 confirmed measles deaths and 983 deaths among patients with measles-like symptoms.

Director General of Health Services Professor Pravath Chandra Biswas said vaccination remains the key tool for controlling the outbreak. The routine immunisation programme will continue alongside the special campaign to ensure wider protection of eligible children.

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain is scheduled to inaugurate the campaign at the T&T playground in Korail, Dhaka, on Saturday, with State Minister for Health Dr MA Muhit expected to attend.

Public health experts, however, say vaccination alone may not be enough to bring the outbreak under control. They have stressed the need to rapidly identify infection hotspots, locate unvaccinated children and strengthen surveillance and outbreak-response measures.

Before the current outbreak, Bangladesh had recorded no measles deaths in the previous year, with only 132 reported infections. Health experts say restoring the country to that level of control will require sustained vaccination coverage and stronger public-health measures.