Tackling outbreak of measles

FE Team | Published: March 30, 2026 20:46:44

Bangladesh's regression from a successful child vaccination country has been marked by the current outbreak of measles which has claimed 41 lives of children until Sunday last. The country launched its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) as early as 1974 and has successfully eradicated polio and tetanus. Until its outbreak early this month, measles was also thought to be nearly eradicated. It was supposed to be completely eradicated by December 31, 2025. Something went wrong because of negligence of the concerned authorities. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world's children against some of the deadliest child diseases. It is against this backdrop, the authorities turned a blind eye to the declining of stocks of six vaccines to zero. The incumbent health minister is on record saying that in the past eight years children did not receive vaccination against measles and there was no allocation for procurement of the vaccines concerned.
If this is the case, some people must take the responsibility for such a gross lapse. Chair of Civil Society Organisation (CSO) steering committee of Gavi Nizam Uddin Ahmed however claims that in addition to a lack of manpower, short supply of vaccines, logistical constraints, there was inadequate monitoring and supervision of regular vaccination. This is why not all the children could be brought under coverage of immunisation. He further claims that due to the Covid-19, the second dose of vaccine could not be administered. Then what about the national campaign under which children not covered under regular vaccination programme are vaccinated? No such national campaign for child immunisation was carried out although the Vitamin-A capsule programme was duly launched nationwide. The authorities involved with the immunisation programme now recalibrated as Essential Programme on Immunisation should have taken the matter seriously when things started going off track. But they simply failed to realise the seriousness of the matter.
Reports on the actual condition vary and at times are not even comprehensive. If the regular vaccination programme was carried on, how was the supply maintained? Not all the vaccines are supposed to be available with private hospitals and health facilities. Zero stock of six vaccines risks outbreak of other contagious diseases among children as well. A lapse of eight years of vaccination is a serious matter and its impact on a whole generation can be dangerous. Those involved with the immunisation know it better than common people.
The health minister has already allocated Tk 6.04 billion for procurement of vaccines. How long will the vaccines take to arrive? But the urgency right now is to save the life of those children already attacked by the disease. Intensive care units (ICUs), ventilators etc; are in great demand now. During the Covid-19, hospitals across the countries made arrangements for such facilities. Those are unlikely to be in readiness for admission. If the health minister now instructs the hospitals to get those facilities ready, particularly in areas where the outbreak of measles is reported, it will serve the purpose very well. The serious cases of measles stand little chance of recovering without such extra care. Hopefully, the hospital authorities will also do their part of the job in thwarting the disease's further spread.