Staff Correspondent

The Directorate General of Health Services, or DGHS, has taken over the responsibility for administering the meningitis vaccine for Bangladeshis travelling abroad.

The DGHS says it will fix specific vaccination centres for the vaccination, where they will be available at a set price.

The Civil Surgeon's Office will issue a certificate to those who receive the vaccination and all information related to the vaccination will be stored in the Management Information System branch of the DGHS.

This information was given to bdnews24.com on Saturday by the Director General of Health Services Dr Md Abu Jafor. Jafor said that the DGHS is talking to several organisations to make the vaccination easily available.

From Feb 10, Saudi Arabian authorities made meningitis vaccinations mandatory for those travelling to the kingdom for Hajj, Umrah, or on a visitor’s visa. However, this vaccination will not be required for expatriates going to Saudi Arabia to work.

Last week, pilgrims to Saudi tried to get the vaccinations at private hospitals in Dhaka and held protests in front of the hospitals after they could not get them.

Jafor said on Saturday that there are about 8,000 vaccines in the market at the moment and that efforts are underway to procure more shots. As a result, there will be no shortage of meningitis vaccines.

“We will not give out the vaccine for free, the vaccine will have to be purchased from the private sector. We are talking to a company and they have said that they have 40,000 vaccines in stock. By March, they will produce another 90,000 vaccines for Hajj pilgrims. They can produce 40,000 per month. We are also talking to a few other companies which import the vaccines or produce them in the country. So, there is no shortage of vaccines.”

He said that meningitis vaccines will be available in hospitals and clinics in different areas and the DGHS will select them. If the vaccine is administered the information will be added to the DGHS database.

"We are taking steps to upload detailed information, including passport numbers, of those who want to get vaccinated to our MIS system. The authorities will be able to check it when travellers show their documents at the airport. We hope to complete this automation work by January. And after getting vaccinated, a certificate will also be sent from the Civil Surgeon's Office."

This year, 127,198 people from Bangladesh will get the opportunity to perform Hajj. In 2023, 231,092 Bangladeshis went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. Bangladesh ranks sixth among countries in terms of Umrah pilgrims.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical company Incepta said on Wednesday that its meningitis vaccine “Ingovax” is available at LabAid, Prava Health, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University's Virology Department, Preventa and other vaccination centres in Dhaka. Incepta said that this vaccine is also available at vaccination centres in various districts of the country.

According to the World Health Organization, meningitis is an inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can affect people of any age. It is usually caused by an infection. The disease can be serious and requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms of this disease include fever, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and sound, convulsions and mucus discharge from the mouth, lack of, vomiting or nausea. In children, symptoms include fever, irritability, loss of appetite, excessive fatigue and red rashes on the skin.

Meningitis can be caused by various types of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. In most cases, this infection is spread from person to person. There is also a risk of transmission due to injuries, cancer and medications.

Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous and can become fatal within 24 hours of infection. The best protection against bacterial meningitis is to get vaccinated.