Three-week Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign, as part of them countrywide plan was inaugurated this morning here at Harukandi Primary School with a target of vaccinating 95 percent children aged nine months to 15 years.
Deputy commissioner (DC) of Faridpur Abu Hena Morshed Zaman inaugurated the program with a call to prevent the serious diseases among children.
Addressing the occasion as the chief guest, the DC said Bangladesh has achieved a tremendous success in eradicating child diseases as judged by several world monitoring bodies including UNICEF.Due to a vigorous campaign taken by the health department with the participation of the people and voluntary organizations the child death rate has remarkably reduced in our country, he added.The function, presided over by civil surgeon of Faridpur Dr. Sirajul Haque Talukdar, was addressed, among others, by Awami League leader Khondoker Mohtesham Hossain Babor, Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr. ASM Faruk and local BMA President Dr. Jahangir Chowdhury Tito.It may be mentioned here that during the three-week campaign 0-59 months children will be also given oral polio vaccine along with measles-rubella vaccine.It was disclosed in the inaugural meeting that there are 7,28,838 targeted children in the nine upazillas and four pourasabhas of this district who will be immunized from January 25 to February 13.It is learnt that that though apparently measles and rubella are alike in many aspects rubella has congenital malformatic impact particularly for female children. If any unguarded female child is attacked with rubella and not given any proper treatment then that female child carrying rubella syndrome might give birth to deformed or disable children.The campaign would be carried out at all schools and other institutions numbering about 2,332 where around 4,71,787 students of
the target age children are studying The campaign will continue at 11 permanent centres, 1,837 education centres and 2001 outreach centres.Four hundred and 50 vaccination teams will work in the district during the three- week campaign where 6,660 personnel of health and family planning department including 5,526 volunteers will work. –BSS, Faridpur
