Health Minister says no one responsible for measles deaths will be spared
He also said children would start receiving Vitamin A capsules from June.
Health Minister Sardar Mohammad Sakhawat Hossain has said those found responsible for the severe measles crisis will face action once an investigation into the situation is completed.
He made the remarks on Wednesday morning at the Secretariat during a programme marking the handover of polio vaccines by Chinese company Sinovac Foundation.
At the event, he also announced that children would begin receiving Vitamin A capsules from June.
The minister said that although the measles outbreak was similar to a natural disaster, the government had managed to bring the crisis largely under control. Vaccination campaigns have already been completed in most districts, while the remaining children will also be brought under vaccination coverage.
He said the government had received 76,616 vials of vaccines from Sinovac Foundation with the support of the Chinese government, equivalent to 383,080 doses. “We also have sufficient vaccines in our own stock. We will be able to administer polio vaccines without any difficulty,” he said.
The minister added that anti-rabies vaccination programmes had also begun and assured that no patient would remain outside the vaccination network.
“Every vaccination programme is now underway. There is a slight shortage of Vitamin A capsules, but we expect to have an adequate supply by June. According to the existing schedule, Vitamin A capsules will be distributed twice a year. No shortage will be allowed in this sector,” he said.
During the event, Sinovac Foundation donated around 380,000 doses of polio vaccines to support the government’s immunisation drive and strengthen the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
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