A platform of doctors, public health experts, and rights activists on Saturday urged the government to declare a public health emergency amid the ongoing measles outbreak across Bangladesh.
The Doctors’ Platform for People’s Health also demanded an investigation into the causes of the outbreak, which has already killed nearly 200 children with measles symptoms, and called for accountability for the deaths.
The platform made the demands at a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.
Speakers at the event also called for formulating a standing order on disease management, similar to the country’s disaster response framework, to better handle public health crises.
Former president of the Bangladesh Medical Association and DPPH convener Rashid-e-Mahbub chaired the programme, which was moderated by Shakhil Akter. Former adviser to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research, Mohammad Mushtuq Husain, read out the written statement.
The speakers stressed the need for an all-out response with the highest priority to contain the crisis.
‘We believe that negligence in vaccine procurement by the previous interim government, bureaucratic delays, and institutional indifference towards public health have contributed to this outbreak and weakened the Expanded Programme on Immunisation,’ said Mushtuq Husain.
Replying to a question, he said that the country was already facing a measles epidemic regardless of official acknowledgment.
However, IEDCR director Tahmina Shirin disagreed with the term ‘epidemic’, telling New Age that the situation should be described as an ‘upsurge’.
According to the World Health Organization, an epidemic refers to the occurrence of disease cases in a community or region clearly exceeding normal expectations, often indicating rapid and unexpected spread.
Professor Rashid-e-Mahbub said that Bangladesh had previously performed well in controlling communicable diseases, with national health priorities shifting in recent years towards non-communicable diseases.
Public health experts at the briefing attributed the resurgence of measles primarily to gaps in immunisation coverage in recent years.
Meanwhile, prime minister Tarique Rahman, speaking at a conference of upazila health and family planning officers at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, described the failure of previous governments to ensure measles vaccination as an ‘unforgivable crime’.
‘The life-destroying failure of the last two immediate governments to ensure measles vaccination for children across the country appears to be an unforgivable crime,’ he said, adding that the current administration’s emergency response had helped prevent further deterioration.
Meanwhile, at least four more children died with measles symptoms across the country and 942 new infections were recorded in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Saturday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
According to the DGHS, with the latest figures, a total of 22,409 suspected measles cases have been reported, alongside 3,278 confirmed infections and 35 confirmed deaths since March 15.
