Dhaka kickstarts drive to vaccinate 34 million children ‘despite pandemic’

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s government on Saturday launched a $50 million national campaign to vaccinate millions of children against measles (rubella) despite the coronavirus “health emergency,” officials told Arab News.
“In 2019, we noticed a rise in the number of cases of measles, rubella among children in different parts of the country,” Mowla Baksh Chaudhury, program manager, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), told Arab News.
According to the EPI data, 82 cases of measles cases were reported in the country last year.
“We didn’t want it to grow further, which prompted the government to run the vaccination campaign despite the ongoing coronavirus health emergency,” he said.
The 44-day initiative will see 50,000 health care workers immunize 34 million children aged between nine months and 10 years of age.
Chaudhury said that the government had taken “enough precautionary measures” to avoid the transmission of COVID-19 during the vaccination drive.
“We have provided infection prevention control training to the health workers who will be working on the ground to vaccinate the children. Moreover, 2.5 million surgical masks will be distributed during this campaign period to avoid virus spread,” he said.
Residents, however, aren’t convinced.
“Although we are trying to adapt to the new normal, it’s impossible to maintain social distancing during such drives. I brought my son to the vaccination center but was constantly worried about being exposed to COVID-19,” said Tahera Khondoker, a 34-year-old mother.
“The authorities should have delayed the initiative by a few more weeks considering the coronavirus situation in the country,” she said.
Health experts agreed and feared that the nationwide campaign may prove to be “counterproductive and further accelerate” the coronavirus infection rate around the country.
“Countries around the world have remodeled their vaccination programs by delaying them. Most countries now avoid direct contact and gather people in the vaccination centers,” renowned public health specialist, Prof. Dr. A.S.M. Amanullah of Dhaka University, told Arab News.
He said that due to a “serious perceived susceptibility” about the coronavirus diseases among the public, it was “almost impossible to exercise caution at vaccination centers.”
“Delay the vaccination campaign by three months and restart it when the coronavirus situation gets better in the country,” Dr. Amanullah said.
Another renowned public health expert, Dr. Mushtak Hussain, suggested that regular health programs “should be continued” during any pandemic.
“Since a health emergency is prevailing at the moment, we should be more vigilant about other infectious diseases, and I think the government should continue the vaccination campaign, maintaining all health safety guidelines,” Dr. Hussain, an adviser to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research, told Arab News.
A few parents agreed, welcoming the move to “safeguard children against two life-threatening diseases.”
“It’s always safe to get the children vaccinated. I prefer to visit the vaccine center on the very first day as the COVID-19 situation in the country is worsening day by day,” Afrin Islam, a 27-year-old mother, told Arab News.