Most of the children newly diagnosed with measles in Bangladesh have not yet received the measles vaccine, Health Minister Sardar Mohammad Sakhawat Hossain said.
He said a large-scale measles vaccination campaign will resume across the country from September 25 to help prevent and control the spread of the disease.
The Health Minister made the remarks on September 10 at a seminar held at the University Women’s Federation in the capital to mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2026.
He said the previous government had left no stock of measles vaccines, which initially made it somewhat difficult to control the outbreak of measles. However, the Ministry of Health has since collected more than 10 million doses of vaccines and conducted vaccination campaigns, he said.
New vaccines have also been received from UNICEF for children who have not yet been covered by the vaccination programme. Using these vaccines, a large-scale vaccination campaign will be relaunched from September 25, according to the minister.
The Health Minister also spoke about the dengue situation in Bangladesh. He said water often accumulates in flower pots, creating breeding grounds for mosquito larvae and increasing the risk of dengue infection.
He said the Ministry of Health has already begun measures to combat dengue. Awareness and prevention activities have been launched not only in the capital Dhaka but also in areas outside the capital.
The minister further said that the government is working to reduce the suicide rate in the country to zero.
Earlier in the morning, the Health Minister participated in a rally organised to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.
Various programmes organised on the occasion focused on increasing public awareness about suicide prevention and promoting awareness of mental health among the people.
Ref: Bangladesh Media.
