The measles vaccination campaign will begin on Sunday

The government will roll out an emergency measles vaccination campaign for children starting Sunday, following a sharp rise in cases nationwide.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain announced the initiative at a press briefing at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

He said the campaign will cover children aged six months to 10 years.

“As part of the emergency response, the government is procuring 21.9 million doses of measles vaccine from Gavi on a temporary basis, which will be returned later,” he added.

The minister further noted that vaccines and syringes will be distributed across the country between Thursday and Friday. He also assured that adequate ventilator support and sufficient hospital beds are in place nationwide to handle measles cases.

To facilitate smooth implementation, all leave for health workers has been suspended, he added.