Minister for Health & Family Welfare Jahid Malek, MP inaugurated the upcoming National Measles-Rubella Campaign 2020 at Dhaka Shishu Hospital premises by releasing balloons and administering MR vaccine among a few children.
Asadul Haque, Secretary, Health Service Division; Ali Noor, Secretary, Health Education & Family Welfare division; Professor Abul Kalam Azad, Director General, Health; Director, Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Line Director, MNC&AH, Dr. Md. Shamsul Haque, Professor Syed Shofi Ahmed Muaz, Dr. Mowla Baksh Chaudhury Programme Manager, Expanded Programme On Immunization, and representatives from different development partners like UNICEF & World Health Organization were also present.
Honourable Health & Family Welfare Minister Jahid Malek, MP stated, “Bangladesh has already conducted several measles-rubella campaigns in the past. But in recent years the number of measles & rubella cases as well as the number of measles-rubella outbreak has increased. To mitigate this situation, we have planned to conduct another Measles-Rubella Campaign from March 18, 2020 to April 11, 2020. Through this campaign, a total of 3 crores and 40 lac children aged from 9 months to under 10 years will be given a single dose of MR vaccine across the country.
The objectives of this campaign are –
●To vaccinate all the children aged from 9 months to under 10 years with one dose of MR vaccine to rapidly reduce measles- rubella transmission and ●To identify and vaccinate all the MR drop out, left out children to vaccinate through routine EPI.
He also stated that the campaign will be conducted in two phases. ●From March 28 to March 24, 2020, during the first week of the campaign one dose of MR vaccine will be given to all the children of class 4 and equal standard in about 1,73,289 schools across the country. ●From March 28 to April 11, 2020, during the second & third week, the campaign will be conducted through 2,44,444 routine, fixed & additional EPI vaccination centres to vaccinate the target children of the community as well as the children who will be unable to receive the vaccination during the first week of the campaign. ●All vaccination centres will remain open everyday from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm except Fridays & other government holidays.
In addition, for the venerable group of children of the country such as children who live in Bazar areas or shops, children whose mothers work in factories, rice mills etc., children of wandering tribes such as the Bede fleets, disadvantaged children who sleep in the railway stations/ bus terminals, hospitalized or hospitalized mother’s children, children who are residing in jails with their mothers, children who lives in brothels, slums and hard to reach areas the government has arranged dedicated vaccination centres accordingly.
The minister also added that the government has already completed all the required steps to implement the upcoming National Measles-Rubella Campaign-2020. To make this campaign successful the most important factor now is to ensure spontaneous public participation. He asked for full cooperation from all the print, electronic and online media and requested the representatives to provide their utmost effort to showcase the upcoming MR Campaign-2020 to the people of Bangladesh so that the country can achieve the Measles and rubella elimination target by 2023.
