The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The first round of the 16th National Immunisation Day (NID) was observed across the country today with a target to immunise more than 24 million under-5 children through vaccination.

Over 60,000 health workers and volunteers in 1.40 lakh vaccination centres, including mobile centres and outreach sites, have been deputed to administer the children with the vaccines.

In the second round on December 8, de-worming tablets will be added to the countrywide programme for the children aged between two and five, official and the WHO sources said here today.

Adviser for Health and Family Welfare Maj. Gen (retd) Dr. ASM Matiur Rahman inaugurated the 16th National Immunisation Day (NID) in the EPI Bhaban on October 25 with a call for all-out cooperation towards making the programme a total success.

The Health Adviser yesterday visited various places in the city and its outskirts to see for himself the immunisation process. In the morning, he was in the Dhaka Shishu Hospital and the Square Hospital in the city and later went to Amin Bazar, Savar Bus Stand, Savar Health Complex and Dhamrai.

According to official sources, 30 million doses of oral polio vaccines, 20 million doses of high-potency Vitamin-A capsules and 13 million doses of Albendazole tablets were procured for the purpose.

Besides, they said, a four-day house-to-house search programme will follow each round to ensure that no child is dropped out of the immunisation programme.

The government in collaboration with different international agencies, including the UNICEF and the WHO, decided to immunise all the under-five children across the country when the first case of polio was detected after five years in March 2006.

Eighteen polio cases have so far been detected in 12 districts all over Bangladesh with the last one reported on November 22, 2006, the sources said.

UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Louis-Georges Arsenault on the occasion said the NID would not only help root out polio, but the combination of Vitamin-A capsules and de-worming tablets would reduce the chance of other diseases in children of Bangladesh, particularly in the post-flood situation.

Two more NIDs will be observed in Bangladesh every year from 2008 until the neighbouring India, already identified as an endemic country, becomes free from polio.