Dhaka, May 13 (V7N) – Bangladesh Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain has said that children who were left out of the ongoing measles vaccination campaign will soon be brought under vaccination coverage through expanded government initiatives.
He made the remarks on Wednesday morning at a ceremony held at the Secretariat, where the Sinovac Foundation donated 380,000 doses of polio vaccine to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The minister said authorities are arranging awareness campaigns, including miking in different areas, to identify and vaccinate children who have not yet received the measles vaccine or who remain outside the targeted coverage zones.
“We are taking measures so that not a single child is left out of the measles vaccine,” he said.
Sakhawat Hossain noted that vaccinated children would need time for antibodies to develop in their bodies, while expressing hope that infection rates would gradually decline.
The health minister also criticized the previous two governments, alleging failures in vaccine collection, vaccination programs and Vitamin A campaigns. He said the current government is placing greater emphasis on controlling measles outbreaks.
He further warned that action would be taken against anyone found negligent after investigations are completed once the situation stabilizes.
The minister also announced that the government will continue polio vaccination efforts and assured that there would be no shortage of vaccines.
“We will have a complete supply of Vitamin A by next June and will continue the program of distributing Vitamin A twice every year,” he added.
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