Child deaths from measles continue, toll crosses 750

❐ BD Digest Desk

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The deaths of children in the measles epidemic have been covered up due to state negligence on various issues. Even the top media outlets are no longer giving importance to the news of measles. There are allegations that ‘pressure’ has been applied to the media from the ‘upper echelons’ regarding this.

However, the incidents of child deaths do not stop. Mothers’ laps are emptying every day. In the last 24 hours, 3 more children have died in the country due to measles symptoms.

In total, a total of 750 children have died from measles and measles symptoms since March 15 of this year.

However, the government has claimed that there have been no deaths from ‘confirmed measles’ in the past 24 hours.

This information was provided in the regular measles report of the Directorate General of Health Services today, Friday, July 10th.

According to the report, 128 new cases of measles have been detected in the last 24 hours. At the same time, 901 more people have shown symptoms of measles. As a result, the total number of infected people during this period has reached 1,029.

According to the Department of Health, 13,326 people have been confirmed to have measles in the country since March 15. During the same period, 1,09,899 people have shown symptoms of measles.

Meanwhile, 92,832 people have been admitted to hospitals with measles symptoms since March 15. Of these, 89,234 have recovered and been discharged from the hospital after treatment.

The country’s public healthcare system has been plagued by one vaccination crisis after the interim government of Dr. Yunus suspended the five-year operational plan or OP for the health sector adopted by the Sheikh Hasina government, ignoring warnings from organizations like UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

The common people are blaming the incompetence, inefficiency, mismanagement and stubbornness of Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his health advisor Nurjahan Begum. The common people are now openly saying that the ‘Yunurjahan’ gang has ‘deliberately’ pushed the country’s health sector to the brink of utter disaster.

Antibodies not produced even 9 weeks after measles vaccination, vaccine effectiveness questioned

Children are supposed to develop antibodies or immunity within two to three weeks of receiving the measles vaccine. But infections are still on the rise even nine weeks after the start of vaccination. In this situation, experts and public health experts have raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the vaccine.

There have been repeated suggestions to test the blood of vaccinated children to see if they have developed antibodies, but the government has been accused of not taking this into account.

After the measles outbreak spread nationwide, a special vaccination program was launched in high-risk upazilas on April 5. In the first phase, vaccination was given in 30 upazilas and municipalities in 18 districts. Two weeks later, the nationwide program began on April 20.

The government had set a target of vaccinating 19 million five thousand nine hundred and fifty children aged six to nine months.

According to the Department of Health, 100 percent coverage was achieved on May 12. A total of 224,117 children were vaccinated in the campaign, which lasted until May 20, which is 6 percent more than the target. However, despite such high coverage, the infection has not decreased.

Questions about vaccine quality and storage

Serious questions have been raised about the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, as infections and deaths have not decreased despite vaccinating more children than the target.

Public health experts say the effectiveness of the vaccine depends on the child’s age, nutrition, and the antibodies they receive from their mother. The younger the child, the less effective the vaccine.

Dr. Md. Tajul Islam A Bari, a vaccination expert who has worked for a long time at the government’s EPI and ICDDR, B, said, “It has been two months since the vaccination, and high transmission is still being seen. At this time, it is important to test the blood of vaccinated children aged six to nine months, nine months to two years, and under five years to see whether they have actually developed immunity against measles.”

“Even if some antibodies are produced at the same time, it remains to be seen whether they are at the level of immunity. But the government is not listening to any advice in that regard,” he said.

Regarding the vaccine effectiveness rate by age, he said, “Usually, the vaccine effectiveness rate is a maximum of 50 percent in children under six to nine months of age. It is 85 percent between nine months and one and a half years, and the probability of effectiveness is 97 percent in children four to six years of age. So there is a huge relationship between age and vaccination.”

Demand for verification of effectiveness

Demanding specific steps to verify the effectiveness of the vaccine, Dr. Tajul Islam A Bari said, “The vaccine needs to be tested at the National Control Laboratory (NCL) under the control of the government’s Department of Drug Administration.”

He said, “IEDCR can be used to check if there is a problem with the cold chain somewhere in the transportation. The World Health Organization should be asked to provide test kits to verify the quality of the vaccine. But the government is not giving importance to these. As a result, children are still getting infected, dying, and we are watching.”

Professor Bey-Nazeer Ahmed, former director of the disease control branch of the Directorate General of Health Services, said, “Infections are still happening constantly. However, it has been 9 weeks since the vaccination. So, it is necessary to see whether antibodies have been produced in the body or not.”

IEDCR Chief Scientific Officer Professor Dr. Ahmed Nowsher Alam said, “Even if the vaccine coverage is 100 percent, it may be seen that some population has been left out. It can spread from there. Now, it will not be understood whether the vaccine is effective or not without testing. Since the issue is being discussed, it can be considered.”

Director of the Disease Control Branch of the Directorate General of Health Services, Dr. Halimur Rashid, said, “The matter is under consideration. But nothing has been done yet. The thought was that the infection would decrease. Since that has not happened, I will talk to the Director General about the matter.”