Staff Correspondent :
The Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) is set to vaccinate more than
Two lakh children as part of a large-scale typhoid immunization
campaign. The program will begin on October 12 and continue for 10
working days across three permanent centers in the city area. The
initiative was announced by Dr. Nafia Islam, Medical Officer of the City
Corporation, during a press briefing held on Wednesday, October 8.
According to Dr. Nafia Islam, the vaccination campaign will target
students from pre-primary to ninth grade within the city’s jurisdiction. A
total of 214,118 children are expected to receive the typhoid vaccine
under this program. The city has been divided into three zones to ensure
smooth and efficient implementation of the campaign.
In Zone 1 (Siddhirganj region), vaccinations will be provided in 175
schools covering 67,670 students, along with 38 community centers
serving an additional 27,670 children, bringing the total to 95,330.
In Zone 2 (Narayanganj region), 168 schools will vaccinate 42,996
students, while 38 community centers will cover 19,097 children,
totaling 64,463. In Zone 3 (Kadam Rasul region), 125 schools will
accommodate 38,673 students, and 33 community centers will vaccinate
14,459 children, amounting to 54,808 in total.
Dr. Nafia Islam further added that beginning November 9, a separate 8-
day vaccination drive will be conducted across the three zones to
immunize children aged 9 months to under 15 years living within both
city and municipal areas.
During the press conference, several officials spoke about the
importance of this campaign, including NCC Secretary Nur Kutubul
Alam, EPI Officer Nasir Uddin, Murshida Akter, and Hafiz Uddin Khan.
Nur Kutubul Alam emphasized that Bangladesh has become a global
role model in mass vaccination programs, highlighting the country’s
ability to administer vaccines efficiently to millions of people in an
organized manner. He also urged media professionals to play an active
role in combating misinformation and rumors surrounding vaccines,
which often create unnecessary fear among the public.
Data presented at the event revealed the alarming impact of typhoid in
Bangladesh. Each year, an estimated 500,000 people in the country
contract typhoid fever, resulting in around 8,000 deaths. The majority of
those affected are children under 15 years of age. According to the
Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 survey, Bangladesh recorded
477,518 typhoid cases, meaning approximately 290 cases per 100,000
people. Notably, 61 percent of these cases were children below 15 years.
Speakers also warned about the rapid rise in drug-resistant typhoid cases
both in Bangladesh and globally. They pointed out that Bangladesh
currently has one of the highest typhoid infection rates in the world,
making vaccination a crucial tool in preventing further outbreaks and
protecting children’s health.
