Experts call for stronger vaccination amid measles resurgence
Public health and medical experts have called for stronger routine immunisation, improved disease surveillance and research-based policymaking to address the resurgence of measles in Bangladesh.
They made the recommendations at a seminar titled "The Resurgence of Measles: Recent Outbreaks in Bangladesh and the Path Forward", held at the BRAC University auditorium on 19 July.
The university's Department of Microbiology, under its School of Life Sciences, and the BRAC University Microbiology Student Council jointly organised the event.
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Professor Mahmudur Rahman, former director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), stressed the need to maintain high vaccination coverage, strengthen surveillance, detect outbreaks rapidly and engage communities to build confidence in vaccines.
He also called for targeted immunisation activities in areas reporting higher concentrations of measles cases.
Professor Abid Hossain Molla, Senior Consultant in the Department of Paediatrics at BIRDEM Hospital, emphasised early diagnosis and timely treatment.
He said prompt medical attention for suspected cases could reduce complications and prevent avoidable deaths among children.
Mostafizur Rahman, Senior Scientist and Senior Director of the Infectious Diseases Division at icddr,b, stressed the importance of research in understanding the current measles situation.
Mostafizur, who also heads the Virology Laboratory and Genome Centre, said researchers needed to determine why cases had increased this year and examine whether changes in the virus, vaccine effectiveness or other factors had contributed to the upsurge.
BRAC University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury said preventing measles required more than making vaccines available.
Ensuring that vaccines reached communities effectively and improving public awareness were equally important, he said.
He added that collaboration among public health, microbiology and biotechnology specialists could strengthen research, policymaking and awareness initiatives.
Professor Aparna Islam, Assistant Dean of the School of Life Sciences, encouraged students to engage in research and innovation addressing Bangladesh's public health challenges.
A panel discussion moderated by Nadia Sultana Deen, Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Microbiology, examined vaccination, prevention strategies and the role of research in controlling measles.
She called for greater government support for measles-related research to help authorities develop evidence-based prevention and control strategies.
Faculty members, researchers and students attended the seminar. Awards were also presented to the winners of a poster competition on measles awareness.
