UNICEF forecasts potential decrease of measles infections in Bangladesh by May

An official says 74% of children infected with measles remain unvaccinated

The United Nations children's agency UNICEF sees the possibility of the measles outbreak weakening in Bangladesh by May, raising hope for a sigh of relief at a time when the country nears 36,000 suspected cases.

Riad Mahmud, health manager (immunisation) of the global children's agency, on Wednesday revealed the prediction, saying the ongoing vaccination campaign resulted in fewer cases in 30 Upazilas.

He addressed a briefing in the conference room of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Dhaka.

The government rolled out the special vaccination drive in the 30 high-risk areas on Apr 5.

Citing the government data, the UNICEF official, however, said a staggering 74 percent of children infected with measles did not receive any vaccine.

And among those infected, 14 percent were administered the first dose, and 12 percent tested positive even after getting two shots of the vaccine, he added.

DGHS Director General Pravath Chandra Biswas said about 19 million children have been jabbed, accounting for nearly 61 percent of the total target.

“In the areas where the campaign was initially conducted, measles infection among children has decreased significantly,” he said.

Expressing hope that the situation will soon improve after the “peak” of the infection, the DGHS chief said there are no issues with the vaccine stockpile.

"We have enough vaccines. The campaign is going on, and we are providing everything for regular vaccinations."

Hasanul Mahmud, assistant director of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, said it takes three to four weeks for “immunity” to develop after measles vaccination.

The measles outbreak will weaken after the scheduled vaccination period across the country, he told the briefing.

On Wednesday, Bangladesh confirmed another death.

With that, the death toll from confirmed measles deaths has reached 47 since Mar 15.

Over the period, 227 others died with measles symptoms.