According to recent data from the Directorate General of Health Services, more than 8,500 children across the country have been hospitalised with suspected measles. Among them, 1,099 cases have been confirmed and 118 children have died from measles.
However, according to estimates and data from the World Health Organization, the number of children affected by measles in Bangladesh over the past one and a half decades has been very low. So, what has suddenly happened that has led to such a sharp increase in measles infections among children, resulting in the tragic loss of young lives?
Public health experts have observed that this severe outbreak is the consequence of negligence in vaccination programmes over a considerable period. During the interim government period, unnecessary and unexpected complications arose regarding vaccine procurement. Due to a lack of foresight and active engagement from policymakers at that time, the child immunisation programme nearly came to a halt. As vaccines were not stocked on time, many children missed receiving essential vaccines at the appropriate age.
Through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Bangladesh had once set an exceptional example internationally. In the past, all political governments gave high priority to vaccination programmes. The general public in Bangladesh also responded with great enthusiasm to immunisation drive. However, during the interim government period, this long-standing successful programme nearly came to a standstill. Repeated urgings from private and development partners were largely ignored. As a result, the most vulnerable children are now paying a heavy price for this failure.
A lack of even minimal foresight and initiative can lead to such painful humanitarian crises. To prevent an even larger disaster, it is now essential to prioritise undernourished regions for vaccination efforts. Ultimately, the key issue lies in improving the overall nutritional status of the country. For this, the government and all relevant stakeholders must treat this as an urgent wake-up call.
Ashikujaman Syed
Research Associate,
Bioinformatics Research Lab,
Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID).
syedashikujaman@yahoo.com
