Oral vaccination campaign against cholera in Dhaka begins on Jun 26

The government will start administering oral cholera vaccines in five areas at risk of being afflicted by diarrhoea in Dhaka on Jun 26.

Speaking at a function at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in Dhaka's Mohakhali on Monday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said it will be the first dose of the vaccine and the date for the second dose will be announced later.

All adults, except pregnant women, and children over one year of age will be able to get the vaccine.

The vaccination campaign was supposed to start earlier, but cholera transmission reduced in the areas where the government sent vaccines, the minister said.

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

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

The Directorate General of Health Services then said oral vaccines developed for diarrhoea and cholera will be administered to people without the need for prior registration in Jatrabari, Dakkhinkhan, Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Sabujbagh.