Measles vaccination drive begins tomorrow, which upazilas on the list

From tomorrow, Sunday, health authorities will begin an emergency measles–rubella vaccination drive, prioritising children in 30 upazilas across 18 districts.

These areas have recorded high transmission rates of measles, with Barguna Sadar upazila ranking at the top of the list.

Health officials and an international development partner organisation provided the list of selected upazilas on Friday evening.

According to government sources, the campaign aims to vaccinate 1,203,267 children aged between six months and five years in these areas.

The National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) was scheduled to hold a meeting on Friday night, and a high-level meeting is also expected at the Directorate General of Health Services today, Saturday.

These meetings may recommend the inclusion of one or two additional upazilas.

The 30 selected upazilas are: Barguna Sadar; Mehendiganj and Bakerganj in Barishal; Haimchar and Sadar in Chandpur; Maheshkhali and Ramu in Cox’s Bazar; Nawabganj in Dhaka; Gazipur Sadar; Jashore Sadar; Nalchity in Jhalokathi; Madaripur Sadar; Louhajang, Sadar, and Srinagar in Munshiganj; Trishal, Sadar, and Phulpur in Mymensingh; Natore Sadar; Atpara in Netrokona; Porsha in Naogaon; Shibganj, Sadar, and Bholahat in Chapainawabganj; Ishwardi, Sadar, Atgharia, and Bera in Pabna; Godagari in Rajshahi; and Jazira in Shariatpur.

According to data shared on Thursday by the World Health Organization’s Dhaka office, Bangladesh currently records 16.8 measles cases per million people, which the organisation considers significantly high.

The highest number of cases appears in the southern district of Barguna, where 26 children have contracted measles this year, resulting in an infection rate of 295.

The district has 36,088 children aged between six months and five years, all of whom are targeted under the vaccination plan.

Pabna Sadar upazila ranks second, with 32 confirmed cases and an infection rate of 180. The upazila has 72,825 children within the targeted age group.

Chandpur Sadar upazila ranks third, with 24 cases and an infection rate of 144, and a target population of 57,328 children aged between six months and five years.

A civil surgeon from a high-risk district, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, stated, “We are preparing for the emergency immunisation campaign in accordance with the directives of the Directorate General of Health Services. However, there is a shortage of personnel in our upazila. Health assistants usually administer vaccines at the field level, but more than 30 per cent of such positions remain vacant in this district. This poses a challenge to the successful implementation of the emergency campaign.”

Yesterday, Friday, the Integrated Control Centre of the Directorate General of Health Services reported that between 8:00 am on 2 April and 8:00 am on 3 April, a total of 947 suspected patients were admitted to hospitals across the country. Among them, 42 children were confirmed to have measles.

The centre further reported that from 15 March to yesterday, Friday 5,792 suspected cases were tested for measles, of which 771 were confirmed positive.

It also stated that since 15 March, 94 suspected deaths related to measles have been reported, with nine cases officially confirmed as measles-related fatalities.

However, hospital authorities from various facilities have informed Prothom Alo that more than 50 deaths have occurred over the past week alone.