Measles Infections Persist Five Months After Vaccination Drive, Despite Antibodies Expected Within Three Weeks; Child Deaths Reach 986, Vaccine Quality Questioned

❐ Special Correspondent

Three more people have died in the country due to measles symptoms in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of deaths due to measles and measles symptoms in the country since March 15th till Thursday has reached 986.

This information was announced in a regular press release on the measles situation by the Directorate General of Health Services on Thursday, September 3rd.

According to the notification, out of the 3 deaths in the last 24 hours, 2 are from Dhaka division and 1 is from Sylhet division. With this, a total of 887 people have died in the country with measles symptoms since March 15. And 99 people have died after being diagnosed with measles.

Why are there so many deaths even after vaccination?

Children are supposed to develop antibodies or immunity within two to three weeks of receiving the measles vaccine. But the infection graph is still on the rise. 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 to 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.

In the last 24 hours, 964 more people across the country have shown symptoms of measles and 80 have been confirmed to have measles. The Directorate General of Health Services said that since March 15, the total number of suspected measles patients in the country has reached 1,61,148 and the number of confirmed cases has reached 19,527.

During this period, 141,449 people were admitted to the hospital. 136,405 people were discharged from the hospital after recovering.

The regular statistics provided by the Department of Health do not include age-specific information. Epidemiologists say that measles can affect people of all ages, but children are more susceptible to it. All deaths with measles symptoms during an outbreak are considered measles deaths.

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 long-time vaccine expert at the government’s EPI and ICDDR, B, said on July 12, “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 on July 12, “Infections are still occurring 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.”