Chief Adviser's Special Assistant on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Prof Dr Md Sayedur Rahman said on Thursday 50 million (five crore) children aged 9 months to 15 years will receive typhoid vaccines during the nationwide campaign, scheduled to begin on October 12, reports BSS.
The programme will run simultaneously in all schools and designated vaccination centres across the country, he said at a press conference in the ministry's conference room at the Secretariat.
Sayedur Rahman said the government was providing a single dose of typhoid vaccine completely free of charge to children, adding, "No one is allowed to take money for this service, and legal action will be taken if any such allegation arises."
Mentioning that the movement of health assistants nationwide has been suspended, he said it is expected that they will not create any obstacles in the vaccination programme.
Regarding the demand of the protesters, he said, "Their demands date back to 2011. Nonetheless, we have shown patience towards their movement and hope that with everyone's cooperation, the typhoid vaccination programme will be completed smoothly."
Health Services Division Secretary Md Saidur Rahman said vaccination teams would be present in every neighbourhood from October 12, and in every school, the programme would run from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
He added that in city corporation areas, street children would also be included in the vaccination programme through various NGOs, ensuring that no child is left out.
Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services, Professor Dr Md Abu Jafar, said the first phase of vaccination would run from October 12 to October 31, and the next phase would continue from November 1 to November 13.
He assured that the typhoid vaccine had no known side effects or harmful impact and was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). He urged parents not to be panicked regarding any potential side effects.
