Investigation of vaccination failure in measles crisis and calls for emergency preparedness
Photo Collected
In the ongoing measles situation, there should be an independent investigation into where there have been failures in immunization programmes, vaccine delivery, disease surveillance and emergency health care. At the same time special immunization should be strengthened for slum, marginalized and unvaccinated children and emergency plans should be adopted in national child health to face future crises.
This call was made by public health experts and citizen representatives in an urgent discussion meeting titled ‘Children’s Lives Matter’ on Saturday. A platform called Bangladesh Child Protection Initiative organized this exchange meeting at the office of The Daily Star in Karuran Bazar of the capital.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Rasheda K Chowdhury, advisor to the former caretaker government, expressed deep concern as the situation of measles child deaths in the country has become an ‘epidemic’. Blaming the lack of justice and accountability for such a situation, he said, “There are numerous examples of shirking responsibility in our country.” Even where this is a negligent death, we are bringing the culture of blame.’
Rasheda K Chowdhury expressed anger over the inadequacy of research in the education and health sectors. Expressing his anger about the crisis of field health care, he said, “But we had community health clinics. But now they are dying. None of us pay attention to them.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Jahangirnagar University Assistant Professor of Public Health Jebunesa Zeba said that the situation of child deaths due to measles outbreak is a reflection of the broken state of the country’s health sector. Those who survive measles may face many problems in the future.
Journalist Masud Kamal blamed insufficient doctors and negligence of officials behind the measles crisis. He said, where diseases like measles can be controlled with proper management, death by negligence is not desirable at all. Such irresponsibility of the authorities has caused irreparable damage to future generations.
Journalist Anis Alamgir expressed his anger about whose negligence the outbreak of measles in the country has taken such a terrible form, whether the health ministry of the government or any responsible party is talking about it. He said that proper investigation or questions are not being raised about the root cause of this crisis. He demanded that whoever is responsible for this crisis be held accountable.
Actress Meher Afroz Shaon said that the previous government is responsible for the death of measles. As a mother she mourns the death of her child to the mother of every child. He urged the government to find out the cause of this crisis.
The state should be prepared in advance to ensure that no more children die of preventable diseases. Novelist Tamanna Sethu urged the government to bring the people involved in negligence under the law and create a culture of accountability.
In the exchange meeting, the organizers presented 10 citizens’ ideas to the government. These include regular reporting of actual numbers of measles-related child deaths, independent and credible investigations to determine who is at fault, strengthening ‘outreach vaccination’ of children at the marginal stage, implementing ‘medical support’ measures for affected families.
Bangladesh Child Protection Initiative convener Anand Kutum and organizer Ho Chi Minh Islam also spoke at the exchange meeting, Professor Ahsan Imam of Jahangirnagar University Bengali Department, Prothom Alo Special Correspondent Shishir Moral, Journalist Jay Mamun, Senior Research Fellow of Transparency International Bangladesh. Zulkarnain, Doctoral Fellow of the University of Georgia, Asif Bin Ali, etc.
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