Bangladesh ‘fully prepared’ to curb measles outbreak, says health minister

He urges health workers at all levels to remain standby during the nationwide vaccination from Apr 5

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain has said the government is “fully prepared” to tackle the ongoing measles outbreak, as deaths continue to rise across Bangladesh.

He made the remarks on Thursday while inaugurating a training programme on the use of bubble CPAP to treat measles-related pneumonia and respiratory complications at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

“Measles has spread suddenly. We were hardly prepared. However, we became fully ready to prevent it within a short time,” he said.

The minister reiterated that a nationwide measles vaccination campaign will begin on Apr 5.

“We are shocked at the deaths of so many children. All necessary measures have been taken to prevent the outbreak across the country, including Dhaka and Rajshahi,” he said.

Highlighting emergency steps, he said ventilator support has been increased in Rajshahi and Manikganj, alongside preparations by doctors and nurses in hospitals nationwide.

Rajshahi has emerged as one of the worst-affected regions, with nearly 350 patients admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital since March.

The minister urged health workers at all levels to remain on standby during the vaccination drive. The government has already cancelled leave for field-level health workers.

Acknowledging long-standing grievances, he said many vaccination workers have not received payments for an extended period.

“This is a major concern. There are also demands for promotion and grade improvements for thousands of health assistants, assistant health inspectors and health inspectors. We will address these issues quickly,” he said.

He also pledged to resolve broader challenges faced by healthcare workers.

“Our health workers face many constraints. I promise we will try to resolve these problems as soon as possible,” he added.

On Mar 29, the minister said the government had allocated Tk 6.04 billion to procure measles vaccines, noting that no nationwide vaccination had been carried out in the past eight years.