Government Overlooks Expert Advice on Measles Response
- Update Time : 03:29:36 am, Saturday, 25 April 2026
- / 25 Time View
Health Services Division Secretary Md. Kamruzzaman Chowdhury said the government has already taken multiple steps to control the situation even before recommendations from National Immunization Technical Advisory Group were formally made. He stated that vaccination efforts were arranged quickly and that the process of forming a committee including experts, as advised by NITAG, is currently underway.
Efforts to obtain comments from Director General Prof. Provat Chandra Biswas were unsuccessful over the past two days. Meanwhile, there has been no official spokesperson available from the Expanded Programme on Immunization, especially after its key official was reassigned as an officer on special duty on April 9.
Technical discussions among experts included identifying which patients should be isolated and ensuring proper implementation of those guidelines. There were also concerns about vaccinating children in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, but no clear updates on actions taken in these areas have been reported.
Public health expert Abu Jamil Faisal criticized the situation, pointing to a lack of coordination and communication. He noted that while experts are making recommendations, they are not being effectively implemented, calling the response inadequate given the urgency of the measles situation.
