Measles vaccination to begin in Dinajpur tomorrow

A measles vaccination campaign will begin the district tomorrow and it will continue until May 10, health officials said here today. Dinajpur Civil Surgeon Dr. Asif Ferdous said a total of 193 children have been identified with suspected measles in the district so far. Among them, samples of 150 children were sent to Dhaka for laboratory testing and five of them have been confirmed positive.

The civil surgeon shared the information at a district-level awareness meeting at the Deputy Commissioner's (DC) office here which was presided over by DC Md. Rafiqul Islam. The campaign will cover all the children from six months to 5 years. Officials stated that in line with a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the vaccination drive will be held simultaneously across the country.

All eligible children will get the measles vaccine regardless of prior doses. The campaign dose will be considered an additional dose. Children can continue their routine immunization schedule for one month after receiving this dose. Vaccination centers will be set up across all 13 upazilas of the district, including union health centers and densely populated areas.

According to the district Civil Surgeon office, one child is currently hospitalized here, three are receiving treatment at home, one has already recovered and no deaths have been reported so far. Medical services for measles patients are going on at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital and 12 upazila health complexes. Since March 31, a number of suspected patients have been admitted and treated, with several also receiving outpatient care, the officials added. Health authorities have urged the parents to bring their eligible children to the nearest vaccination centers to ensure protection against measles and help make the campaign successful.