Measles Vaccination Drive Targets 3.4 Million Missed Children

A new measles vaccination drive begins in Bangladesh this weekend, aimed at about 3.4 million children who were missed by earlier campaigns. The push comes as the outbreak’s death toll climbs past 1,080.

The “Intensified MR Catch-Up Vaccination” campaign targets children aged six months to under five years. The Dhaka Tribune reports it will run from 26 September to 31 October. Earlier statements by Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain had cited 25 September as the restart date.

Why a new measles vaccination push was needed

The government launched an emergency measles-rubella drive on 5 April. By 20 May, 18.4 million children had received a dose, beating the target of 18 million.

But the target itself was too low. The national Vitamin A Plus Campaign later reached 22.3 million children in the same age group. That was about 3.9 million more than the measles target. The government has acknowledged the shortfall.

A mop-up campaign followed in July. Yet infections, hospital admissions and deaths began rising again in August. The minister said many children now in hospital with measles had never been vaccinated.

The toll so far

Five more children died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours to 8am on Thursday, 24 September. That brought combined confirmed and suspected deaths to 1,081, according to the Directorate General of Health Services. Of those, 101 are laboratory-confirmed.

More than 184,000 suspected cases have been reported. Confirmed infections stand at 20,951.

Door to door

Health workers and volunteers will visit homes to check each child’s vaccination status. They will cross-check measles registers against Vitamin A data and local lists. Unvaccinated children will be listed and vaccinated at once.

Experts have warned that the plan has gaps. Older children are also catching measles, but children over five are not included. Babies under six months remain exposed. Public health specialists say awareness among parents matters as much as supply.

The outbreak is the sharpest test yet of Bangladesh’s health system under the new government, which is also handling the Rohingya crisis. The Dhaka Tribune has full details of the campaign.

Fact basis: Dhaka Tribune (20 September), The Business Standard (24 September), The Daily Star, and WHO outbreak updates.