Bangladesh Launches Month-Long Measles Catch-Up Vaccination Drive for 34 Lakh Children

Bangladesh will launch an intensified measles vaccination campaign on September 26, targeting 34 lakh children aged six months to 59 months. The month-long drive, which runs through October 31, aims to reach children who were missed during previous nationwide efforts or who have recently reached the minimum eligibility age. Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain announced the initiative at a press conference on Sunday, emphasizing that health workers will conduct door-to-door visits to ensure comprehensive coverage.

The large-scale public health response follows a sharp rise in infection rates driven by years of declining routine immunization. Valid first-dose measles-rubella coverage in the country dropped from 88.6 percent in 2019 to 86 percent in 2024, while second-dose coverage fell from 89 percent to 80.7 percent over the same period. These accumulated immunity gaps left roughly 10 million children susceptible to the first dose and 20 million susceptible to the second dose, ultimately resulting in over 179,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths by September 2026.

The new campaign addresses a significant operational gap identified following earlier immunization drives. Between April and May 2026, the government vaccinated approximately 1.8 crore children with support from international partners including UNICEF, Gavi, and the World Health Organization. Subsequent assessments, including data from a vitamin A campaign, revealed that roughly 43 lakh children had been missed. A follow-up mop-up drive successfully vaccinated 19 lakh of those children, leaving 24 lakh still unvaccinated. An additional 10 lakh children have since turned six months old, bringing the total target for the upcoming campaign to 34 lakh.

To facilitate this effort, the government has secured 43 lakh doses from UNICEF, supplemented by 15 lakh doses already in stock. Minister Sakhawat stated that the government is moving beyond fixed centers to reach villages directly, noting that the vast majority of children currently affected by measles had not received the vaccine. Clinicians note that measles is diagnosed through its classic prodromal presentation featuring high fever, the '3 Cs' triad of cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis, pathognomonic Koplik spots on the buccal mucosa, and a generalized maculopapular rash, differentiating it from concurrent seasonal threats such as dengue fever, which lacks catarrhal respiratory signs and presents instead with plasma leakage and hemorrhagic manifestations.

In response to the outbreak, the National Immunization Technical Advisory Committee (NITAG) has recommended lowering the vaccination age to six months, deviating from the standard WHO guideline of nine months. Children younger than six months remain excluded due to potential health risks, while those older than five years are also outside the scope of this specific campaign. Healthcare workers are utilizing standardized protocols to manage the clinical surge under updated treatment frameworks.

Beyond the vaccination drive, the government has implemented the National Guidelines on Measles-Rubella Clinical Case Management to standardize treatment across the country. These guidelines train health workers on age-stratified vitamin A therapy using 50,000 IU, 100,000 IU, and 200,000 IU dosages, alongside vaccine-preventable disease surveillance protocols for sample transport to the National Polio and Measles Laboratory at the Institute of Public Health. While upazila-level facilities are equipped to manage basic cases, officials noted that many patients are bypassing local centers to seek care at tertiary hospitals in Dhaka, placing significant pressure on those institutions. To manage the surge, the government has prepared mobile hospitals and placed military personnel on standby to assist if the situation deteriorates.