Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain on Sunday said not only measles vaccination campaigns but also Vitamin A capsule distribution campaigns for children were not conducted during the tenure of the interim government.
He made the remarks while speaking at a seminar titled “Public Awareness and Prevention are the Best Scientific Measures for Controlling Measles and Dengue,” organised by the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the Jaitya Press Club in the capital.
“Vitamin A campaigns are supposed to be conducted twice a year. One campaign was held during the first half of last year, but after that no Vitamin A campaign took place and now there is a severe shortage of Vitamin A capsules,” the minister said.
He said the government currently has only a limited stock of Vitamin A capsules which are being distributed in small quantities.
“We have already made the payment and UNICEF is expected to supply the Vitamin A capsules by June 10. I spoke to them four days ago and requested them to provide the measles vaccine as quickly as possible,” he said.
Bangladesh is expected to receive more than 10 million Vitamin A capsules within the next five to seven days, he said. “Once the supply arrives, we will begin full-scale distribution among children, Inshallah,” he added.
The Health Minister also stressed the importance of maternal nutrition and breastfeeding, urging doctors to create greater public awareness on the issue.
“After a baby is born, if the child does not receive proper nutrition from the mother, various diseases may mutate and reappear in new forms,” he said, warning that emerging health threats could continue to affect the population if preventive measures are not taken seriously.
Referring to his visits to hospitals treating measles-infected children, the minister said malnutrition was one of the key reasons behind the worsening condition of infected children.
“I have visited several hospitals and observed that many measles patients are suffering from pneumonia due to nutritional deficiencies,” he said.
He noted that maternal immunity through breastfeeding generally protects infants between six and nine months of age, but questioned why many children in that age group are now contracting measles.
“From my discussions and experience, I believe the main reason is lack of nutrition,” he added.
Calling for greater public awareness to protect children from measles, the minister urged doctors and the media to work together in spreading awareness about isolation, nutrition and preventive care.
“If coordinated campaigns are carried out, people will become more aware. Mothers will provide protein-rich food to children and isolation practices will improve. We will then be able to protect ourselves from this outbreak,” he said.
The minister also highlighted Bangladesh’s dependence on foreign countries for vaccines.
“If foreign countries do not supply vaccines, we cannot provide them ourselves. We still do not have the capacity to manufacture vaccines for our nation,” he said.
However, he expressed optimism about establishing a vaccine production unit in Munshiganj.
The minister also emphasised that there is no alternative to cleanliness and public awareness in preventing dengue and controlling mosquito breeding.
The seminar was chaired by acting DAB President Dr. Md. Abul Kenan.