Staff Correspondent

 Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain announced that nearly all children currently contracting measles across the country are unvaccinated, prompting the government to launch a special immunization campaign titled "Intensified MR Catch-Up Vaccination" from September 26 to October 31, 2026.

The Minister made the announcement during a press conference held at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka on Sunday. 

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Affairs  Dr. S M Ziauddin Haidar, Health Services Division Secretary Dr. A N M Bazlur Rashid, and Director General of Health Services Dr. Prabhat Chandra Biswas were also present.

Health Minister Hossain explained that the targeted drive will identify and vaccinate children aged between six months and under five years who were missed during the ongoing Measles-Rubella (MR) campaign, while also covering newly eligible infants reaching six months of age. He expressed concern that measles-infected children are exhibiting severe complications, including pneumonia, due to underlying malnutrition and underlying health factors, noting that antibody development typically requires three to four weeks post-vaccination.

Addressing national health management, the Health Minister reassured the public that state health facilities possess adequate intravenous saline and medical supplies to handle dengue and measles cases. 

A shipment of approximately 43 lakh doses of MR vaccines arrived in Bangladesh on September 10, 2026, under special government arrangements supported by UNICEF, bringing the total national vaccine reserve to 58 lakh doses for the upcoming campaign.