PM for retaining polio-free status of Bangladesh
Monday, 27 January 2014
Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina Sunday said that her government is pledge bound to bring down the infant and maternal mortality rate substantially as well as to eliminate measles and control rubella to face the challenges of the 21st century, reports UNB.
She stated her government's position while officially inaugurating the three-week 'Measles-Rubella Vaccination' campaign at a function at her official residence Gonobhaban in the city Sunday morning.
At the inauguration of the country's biggest vaccination campaign, Sheikh Hasina patted the children taking them on her lap, and encouraged them to take the vaccine.
The PM said the government is working ceaselessly keeping in mind the goals of eradicating measles, controlling rubella, and retaining the polio-free status of Bangladesh.
She hoped that with the sincere efforts of all, it will be possible to increase the immunization rate of measles and rubella to 95 per cent by 2016, also maintain the measles' elimination status of the children and bring down the rate of rubella disease to 90 per cent in comparison to 2010.
The government has already made Bangladesh polio-free by observing 21 national immunization days while no polio patient has been found in the country since detecting the last polio patient on November 22 in 2006.
Seeking cooperation of all to make the vaccination campaign a success, Sheikh Hasina called upon all-parents, guardians, teachers, public representatives and others-to ensure that children around them take the vaccine along with their own kids.
At the same, she directed the government physicians as well as the officials of the Health Ministry to ensure that all the poor and distressed children could take the vaccine. She also put emphasis on coordinated efforts so that not a single child remains out of the campaign.
The PM said main objective of the nationwide vaccination campaign is to continue the country's polio-free status along side eliminating measles and rubella diseases.
She said the government is implementing various programmes with the goal of turning Bangladesh into a middle income country by 2021 and a front ranking developed nation by 2041.