Bangladesh will begin a three-week measles, rubella (MR) vaccination campaign on March 18 with an aim to eliminate those highly infectious diseases, health minister Zahid Maleque said.
“Our target is to eliminate those diseases and we are working with that specific goal,” he said at a press briefing on the campaign on Thursday.
About 34 million children within the age group of nine months to under 10 years will be vaccinated against measles and rubella which remain as public health concerns.
Measles can kill children while rubella infection in pregnant women can cause fetal death and birth defects. In the first week from March 18 to March 24, the vaccine will be given at educational institutes and, in the 2nd and 3rd week in the communities with the routine outreach and additional sites.
“Over 53,000 workers will administer the vaccine while more than 376,000 volunteers will support them,” the minister said. “It’s a very safe vaccine. But after the shot, mild fever and pain can be felt. It’ll go away automatically, so don’t worry for that it. If you face any problem, contact with the nearby health center,” he said while assuring parents.
The Unicef Bangladesh is helping the government in carrying out the campaign which is going to be held after six years. The first MR campaign was held in 2014. The government’s target is to cover at least 95 percent children to achieve their plan to eliminate the infection by 2023.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with frequent internal migration. The transmission potential of an infectious disease such as measles is very high.
The government takes the additional measles and rubella campaign plan as the number of measles cases has increased over the last four years due to low routine coverage of the MR first dose and MR second dose. Once the incidence of measles was 1.6 per million in 2015. But it rose to 27.1 per million in 2019.
The current influx of Myanmar refugees and porous borders with India pose an additional threat of importations and subsequent outbreaks of measles in Bangladesh.
The government expects increases in the numbers of cases, outbreaks and deaths in future years, as the number of susceptible children accumulates. So, to prevent the transmission and outbreaks of measles and rubella, it has become necessary to conduct MR vaccination, according to Unicef.
Out of total targeted number, 15.6 million are of nine months to less than 5 years age and the rest 18.2 million are of five years to less than 10 years age group.
It’s a $42 million campaign including the cost of vaccines which are bought by the Unicef from the WHO pre-qualified company. The GAVI Alliance shares with the government half of the cost.
One dose of MR vaccine will be administered to the targeted children irrespective of previous vaccination status and previous measles or rubella illness.
Measles is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons. Initial symptoms, which usually appear 10–12 days after infection, include high fever, a runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth. Rubella virus infection usually causes a mild fever and rash in children and adults. Infection during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or infants with congenital malformations, known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).
