Japan to provide Tk 13.38 crore

Japanese Ambassador Matsu-shiro Horiguchi and Unicef Representative Morten Giersing signed and exchanged notes to this effect at a ceremony at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel on Saturday.

Health Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain presided over the ceremony, said a Unicef release.

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Reduction of the child mortality rate by improving children's health has been one of the major objectives of Bangladesh. The government of Japan, through Unicef, has been making outstanding contribution since 1996 to increase the coverage of child immunisation.

Measles is responsible for more deaths than any other vaccine-preventable diseases. According to a Ministry of Health and Family Welfare estimate, approximately 20,000 children die from measles every year and more than 86 percent measles cases are below 10 years of age.

On the other hand, neonatal tetanus has been a major public health problem. At present, thousands of newborns die from neonatal tetanus due to lack of safe delivery practices and low tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination coverage among pregnant women.

The measles campaign will cover 1.25 million children aged between nine months to below 10 years in two pilot districts, while the maternal-neonatal tetanus campaign aims to cover 2.1 million women aged between 15 and 49.