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Published : 30 Mar 2026, 05:33 PM
Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Hossain Bakul says Tk 6.04 billion has been allocated to procure vaccines for six diseases, including measles, amid a surge in infections.
Speaking at the Secretariat on Monday, he said the vaccines will be rolled out “as soon as they reach authorities”.
He added, “We want to reassure the public -- our efforts will continue.
“The rapid expansion of ventilators, ICU units and wards during this measles outbreak is unprecedented. We will continue our efforts, God willing.”
Earlier, US Ambassador Brent T Christensen met the minister at the health ministry.
On Jan 4 this year, measles cases were identified in Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.
By Jan 10, authorities had issued alerts in the camp areas.
Around the same time, the number of measles cases began rising in the slums of Dhaka.
On Friday, a visit to the Infectious Disease Hospital in Mohakhali revealed more patients than available beds, with a large proportion suffering from measles.
The viral illness is hitting children hardest, and reports of child deaths have emerged from districts including Rajshahi and Mymensingh.
On Sunday, the health minister claimed at an event in Dhaka that measles vaccinations had not been administered in the country for the past eight years.
However, many parents took to social media to contest this, sharing photographs of their children’s vaccination cards showing measles immunisation.
UNICEF has noted that despite significant progress in the country’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), around 400,000 children have not received all required vaccines, and 70,000 children -- about 1.5 percent -- have received none.
Vaccine coverage is lower in urban areas, where only 79 percent of children are fully immunised, 2.4 percent have received no doses, and 9.8 percent have not received the full course.
By contrast, 85 percent of children in rural areas have completed all recommended vaccinations.
