For two lakh people, crossing Vatua remains an ordeal

The government will launch an intensified catch-up measles vaccination campaign on September 26 to bring all unvaccinated children aged six months to below five years under the coverage, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said yesterday.

An estimated 34 lakh children in this age group are expected to be vaccinated during the campaign, which will continue until October 31, the minister said during a press briefing at the Secretariat.

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The move comes as measles cases and deaths continue to rise despite an emergency vaccination campaign conducted in April-May and a mop-up campaign in late July.

The minister said the programme would identify the children in the age group who missed or were left out of the ongoing measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign.

Newly eligible children who have reached six months of age during this period will also be brought under the programme, he added.

Sakhawat also said the country currently has a stock of 58 lakh doses of MR vaccine, including around 43 lakh doses that arrived on September 10 under a special arrangement by the government, with support from Unicef.

The minister reiterated that the target set by Unicef for the emergency MR vaccination campaign was incorrect and had been set without due consideration.

Regarding dengue, the minister said mobile hospitals would be established in Dhaka and other major districts, if necessary, to tackle the outbreak.

He said while most dengue patients could be treated at the upazila level, many are going directly to tertiary-level hospitals, creating additional pressure on these facilities.