Zakir Azad, Cumilla

Vaccine crisis has been persisting i since 2023 and there is a demand for more than 6 lakh vaccines in Cumilla district.

Most health complexes do not have vaccines and parents are worried as the supply of vaccines is currently stopped in health centers in remote areas starting from the district of Cumilla. The victims who came to receive these vaccination services under the Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) are returning without receiving the vaccine. No response has been received from the district health department regarding this.

Although the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Edhar) was supposed to provide the vaccine, the supply from this organization is currently stopped. According to the District Health Department, there is a demand for various vaccines in the district of about 6 lakh. Since mid-2023, BCG, pentavalent, PCV, OPU, IPV vaccines have not been supplied anywhere in the district headquarters and upazila health complexes.

It was learned from the news in the upazila health complexes that there is a small supply of MR and TD vaccines in the upazila health complexes of Manoharganj, Chauddagram, Barura, Meghna, Lalmai, Titas, Daudkandi, Muradnagar and Debidwar, but there is no supply of BCG, Penta, PCV, OPU, IPV vaccines at all.

Among these, Homna Health Complex does not have any vaccines. Some health complexes including Manoharganj, Debidwar are borrowing MR and TD vaccines from the neighboring upazila health complexes and giving them to children in small quantities. Meanwhile, due to the shortage of vaccines, service recipients are returning without getting vaccinated. Parents are worried about not being able to vaccinate their children on time.

Some have complained that they are not getting the vaccine even after visiting three health centers 2/3 days a week. The district health department says that the supply of emergency pentavalent vaccine and rubella vaccine for children has been stopped. Service seekers have expressed their anger over not getting the necessary vaccines including whooping cough, hepatitis B, and tetanus.

On Thursday morning, when they went to the Debidwar Upazila Health Complex, it was seen that Taslima Akhter of Daudkandi Municipality was returning from coming to vaccinate a 3-month-old child. She said that despite coming four times in the last month, she is returning without getting the vaccine. They are not able to say when she will get the vaccine.

The same is said by Nurun Nahar, an insurance worker living in Homna College Road. She said that even though she went to the health complex with her 4-month-old child, she was being turned away because there was no vaccine supply. No one is even saying when the vaccine will arrive. In this regard, Deputy Civil Surgeon Reza Md. Sarwar Akbar said that the vaccine crisis is a national problem. Although there is some MR and TD vaccine in Cumilla , it is very limited. Besides, there is no vaccine in the district.

Although the district and upazila health complexes are informed about the vaccine shortage every day, we are not able to find a solution. Senior officials of the central health department are trying to resolve the issue by talking to the vaccine supplier companies.