Nationwide Measles Vaccination Drive Targets 3.4m Children

A nationwide special measles-rubella vaccination campaign began on Saturday (26 September), targeting around 3.4 million children who were missed by earlier immunisation efforts as Bangladesh continues to grapple with a prolonged measles outbreak.

The month-long campaign, titled "Intensified MR Catch-up Vaccination", will continue until 31 October and cover children aged six months to below five years who have not received the vaccine or were missed during previous campaigns.

Children who turn six months old during the campaign period will also be brought under the vaccination programme.

The campaign comes more than six months after the outbreak began in March. An earlier nationwide vaccination drive, conducted with support from international health partners, reached millions of children, but health authorities later identified significant gaps in coverage.

The new campaign aims to identify and vaccinate children who remain outside existing immunisation lists, including through field-level and household visits.

According to the latest data from the Directorate General of Health Services, the outbreak remains severe. Since 15 March, 185,833 people have been identified with suspected measles or measles-like symptoms, while 21,015 cases have been laboratory-confirmed.

The combined number of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths has reached 1,084, including 101 confirmed measles deaths and 983 deaths among patients with measles-like symptoms.

Director General of Health Services Professor Pravath Chandra Biswas said vaccination remains the key tool for controlling the outbreak.

The routine immunisation programme will continue alongside the special campaign to ensure wider protection for eligible children.

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain is scheduled to inaugurate the campaign at the T&T playground in Korail, Dhaka, on Saturday. State Minister for Health Dr MA Muhit is also expected to attend.

Public health experts, however, have stressed that vaccination alone may not be sufficient to bring the outbreak under control. They have called for rapid identification of infection hotspots, locating unvaccinated children and strengthening surveillance and outbreak-response measures.

Before the current outbreak, Bangladesh recorded no measles deaths in the previous year, with only 132 reported infections.

Health experts say restoring that level of control will require sustained vaccination coverage alongside stronger public-health measures.