2.3 million people to get cholera vaccines in Dhaka in May

A total of 2.3 million people from five diarrhoea-prone areas in Dhaka will be vaccinated against cholera next month as part of a campaign to stem a surge in diarrhoeal diseases.

The schedule for the campaign will be disclosed soon, said Prof Nazmul Islam, a spokesperson for the Directorate General of Health Services, on Wednesday.

“Oral vaccines developed for diarrhoea and cholera will be distributed to people without the need for prior registration in the Jatrabari, Dakkhinkhan, Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Sabujbagh areas of Dhaka. The first dose of the vaccine will be administered in May and the second one in June. "

Children and people over one years of age will be able to get the vaccine but pregnant women are not eligible for it, according to him.

The DGHS has recorded a total of four deaths from diarrhoea across the country so far, the official said.

However, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) registered five deaths from diarrhoea as of Tuesday.

In response to a question on the number of deaths, Nazmul said, “The icddr,b is a separate organisation and it has not sent its reports to us yet. We will analyse the reports once we get them.” 

Dhaka has seen an alarming uptick in diarrhoeal diseases since mid-March. A record number of patients streamed into the cholera hospital with diarrhoea around that time.

On average, about 1,300 patients are admitted to the hospital with diarrhoea every day in Bangladesh.