Why Bangladesh has lost 1,000 lives to measles despite record vaccine drive
The nation has administered 20mn vaccines since April, but past slipups have led to a mounting death toll, say analysts
Dhaka, Bangladesh – One-year-old Saif Hasan died within minutes of being taken into intensive care at Dhaka’s Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) on August 27.
The child from the southern Bangladesh district of Shariatpur had developed a fever and rashes days after receiving his first measles-rubella vaccine. His family wondered whether the vaccine had made him ill.
But Saif, who had been receiving treatment for a pre-existing respiratory illness, was likely infected with measles before the vaccine had time to protect him, Shrebash Paul, a junior consultant at the hospital, said. “The infection then aggravated his underlying condition.”
Nationwide averages can also mask local gaps. “You have to maintain equity,” Hussain said, arguing that at least 95 percent coverage must be achieved across communities, including among hard-to-reach and mobile populations.