82pc measles victims are children under five

The number of measles and suspected measles cases has been steadily rising over the past three months, with 82 percent of suspected patients being children under the age of five, according to the Ministry of Health.

In response to the growing outbreak, a special nationwide vaccination campaign targeting children has been launched from Sunday to ensure protection. The programme has begun simultaneously in 30 upazilas across 18 districts, covering all children aged between 6 and 59 months with measles vaccines.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain inaugurated the "Emergency Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign" at Nawabganj Upazila Health Complex in Dhaka.

Citing data from the World Health Organization, the minister said, "Since 82 percent of suspected patients are under five, the current phase is focusing on children aged 6 to 59 months. Others will be vaccinated gradually."

Children in this age group who are currently ill are not being vaccinated at this stage. All healthy children will receive both the vaccine and Vitamin A capsules, while ill children will only be given Vitamin A, he added.

The minister said the campaign has started in 30 upazilas across 18 districts from Sunday, will expand to four city corporations from April 12, and will be rolled out nationwide from May 3.

He also blamed mismanagement by previous governments for the resurgence of measles and said the campaign was accelerated under the leadership of Tarique Rahman.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Health Dr M A Muhith, speaking at the inauguration of a measles-rubella vaccination campaign in Gazipur, said measles is a highly contagious disease that can cause serious complications in children but can be effectively prevented through vaccination.

He added that the campaign has started in high-risk areas and will gradually cover the entire country.

Representatives from UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) were present at the programme.

As the campaign began on Sunday, DGHS reported that 974 patients with measles-like symptoms were identified in the past 24 hours, including 54 confirmed cases.

According to the DGHS bulletin, a total of 7,610 suspected cases have been recorded since March 15, of which 929 were confirmed. During this period, 5,470 patients were hospitalized, and 3,380 have been discharged.

Regarding fatalities, the report said 10 deaths with measles symptoms were recorded in the last 24 hours. Since March 15, a total of 113 deaths with measles symptoms have been reported, including 17 confirmed deaths among measles-infected patients.