Bangladesh Launches Emergency Vaccination Drive Amid Deadly Measles Outbreak
Bangladesh is confronting its deadliest measles outbreak in recent history, with over 15,600 suspected cases and at least 179 child deaths reported since mid-March. Health authorities attribute the crisis to a significant delay in supplementary mass immunization campaigns, which were postponed from 2024-2025 due to political turmoil, including student-led protests and a transition of government. The last major campaign occurred in 2020, creating immunity gaps that facilitated the spread of the highly contagious disease. In response, the Directorate General of Health Services has initiated an emergency vaccination drive targeting 20 million children nationwide. The campaign, which began in the most affected regions, is scheduled to expand across the country by April 20 and conclude before the Eid Al-Adha holiday in late May. Medical experts warn that complications such as pneumonia can be fatal, particularly for children under five. Officials express confidence that the situation will improve significantly within a month as coverage increases, leveraging the country's established Expanded Program on Immunization infrastructure, which has historically raised vaccine coverage from 2 percent to approximately 90 percent.
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Bangladesh Launches Emergency Vaccination Drive Amid Deadly Measles Outbreak
Bangladesh is confronting its deadliest measles outbreak in recent history, with over 15,600 suspected cases and at least 179 child deaths reported since mid-March. Health authorities attribute the crisis to a significant delay in supplementary mass immunization campaigns, which were postponed from 2024-2025 due to political turmoil, including student-led protests and a transition of government. The last major campaign occurred in 2020, creating immunity gaps that facilitated the spread of the highly contagious disease. In response, the Directorate General of Health Services has initiated an emergency vaccination drive targeting 20 million children nationwide. The campaign, which began in the most affected regions, is scheduled to expand across the country by April 20 and conclude before the Eid Al-Adha holiday in late May. Medical experts warn that complications such as pneumonia can be fatal, particularly for children under five. Officials express confidence that the situation will improve significantly within a month as coverage increases, leveraging the country's established Expanded Program on Immunization infrastructure, which has historically raised vaccine coverage from 2 percent to approximately 90 percent.
World