Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has told Parliament that Bangladesh is currently facing a shortage of measles testing kits, while vaccine imports were not carried out for years under previous administrations.
Speaking during the question-answer session in the Parliament on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said the country had not imported measles vaccines for children for a prolonged period under both the Sheikh Hasina-led government and the interim administration headed by Dr Muhammad Yunus.
He said the situation has created pressure on the health system, although some testing kits have now arrived in the country. According to him, authorities are working to clear additional consignments that are currently held up at customs.
The remarks came in response to a supplementary question from Jamaat-e-Islami MP Salah Uddin (Gazipur-4), who raised concerns over disruptions in measles detection services.
He said the country’s only infectious disease treatment centre in Chattogram, along with several other facilities, has seen measles testing systems become non-functional.
As a result, samples are being sent to the National Polio and Rubella Laboratory under the Public Health Centre in Dhaka, causing delays in diagnosis even when treatment or vaccines are available.
Responding to these concerns, the Prime Minister said political parties, both inside and outside parliament, had worked together in the past to end authoritarian rule in the country. However, he added that failures during the interim government period contributed to the current vaccine shortage.
He said UNICEF had stepped in with emergency support by supplying measles vaccines, enabling the country to vaccinate nearly two crore children.
The Prime Minister further said that one testing kit can be used for three children, and that several kits are currently stuck at Dhaka airport customs, with efforts underway to release them quickly.
He also acknowledged that many children have already died due to the crisis, adding that the government is now taking urgent steps to address the situation and strengthen health response measures.
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