Published : 29 Mar 2026, 09:10 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:32 PM
Amid the increasing measles outbreak in the country, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said that no one in Bangladesh had been vaccinated against the highly contagious disease for the last eight years.
He also said that the current government has allocated Tk 6.04 billion to buy new measles vaccines.
Responding to questions from journalists at the inauguration of the International Pharmaceutical Industry Fair at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center on Sunday, the minister said: “The number of measles patients has increased a lot. The measles vaccine was provided eight years ago. After that, no government has given out the vaccine.
“But we have allocated Tk 6.04 billion for this. The purchase committee has approved it. We will receive the vaccine in due time and start distributing it.”
Children are given the first dose of measles vaccine at the age of nine months and the second dose at 15 months. During vaccine drives, all children aged from nine months to 10 years are vaccinated.
The vaccination programme has been successful in lowering the measles cases across Bangladesh. But this year, the disease has cropped up once again.
On Jan 4, a measles patient was identified at the Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar. An alert was issued in the camp area on Jan 10. Around the same time, measles cases began to be reported in the slum areas of Dhaka.
A visit to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali in the capital showed more patients than beds. A significant number were measles patients.
The health minister said that "all kinds of preparations" are being taken to provide health care to measles patients. He said, "In Sha Allah, all the DNCC (Dhaka North City Corporation) wards in Dhaka have been prepared. The ICU has been prepared.
“The ICU has been prepared at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, with ventilators. The Children’s Hospital has been prepared. Dhaka Medical College has been prepared. Preparations have been taken in eight units in Manikganj. Preparations have been undertaken at the DNCC. Preparations have been taken in northern Bangladesh.”
The minister said that the government has received a donation of five ventilators after several children died due to lack of space in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
“We will collect them today. Tomorrow (Monday) morning, our secretary is going to Rajshahi. He will get four there and bring them back.”
Stating that drug manufacturers will “supply” more than 12 more ventilators to the government in a few days, the minister said that these ventilators will help the Ministry of Health and Family Planning in fighting the coronavirus.
