20th NID observed

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates the first round of the 20th National Immunisation Day (NID) by administering two drops of polio vaccine to a child at Gono Bhaban in the city yesterday. Photo: PID

In an effort to sustain its polio-free status, Bangladesh yesterday completed first round of the 20th National Immunisation Day (NID) across the country by providing two drops of polio vaccines to children aged 0-59 months.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the first round of the 20th NID by administrating two drops of polio vaccine and a vitamin-A capsule to a number of under 5-year children each at her Gono Bhaban residence in the morning.
Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, Health Adviser to the Prime Minister Syed Modasser Ali and State Minister for Health Captain (retd) Mazibur Rahman Fakir were present at the function chaired by Health Secretary Humayun Kabir.
Besides, the health minister attended a `Shishu Mela' at Japan Bangladesh Friendship Hospital (JBFH) yesterday where he administered some children polio vaccines and visited art competition participated by children. Later, he visited the vaccination centres throughout the day in Gazipur.
The second round of the campaign will be held countrywide on February 11.
Health workers and volunteers were tasked to administer oral polio vaccines to 24 million children aged 0-59 months and vitamin A capsules to 20 million children aged 6-59 months at 140,000 sites located in health facilities and health centres, schools and other makeshift sites like buses, ferries and train stations or terminals throughout the country from 8 am to 4 pm, according to the health ministry and Unicef officials.
The government with support from Unicef, WHO, Rotary International and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta) mounted a model response to immunise all under-5 children across the country when the first case of imported polio was detected in March 2006.
Prior to this case, the country had been polio-free for five years. Eighteen polio cases were thereafter detected in 12 districts across all divisions of Bangladesh with the last one reported on 22 November, 2006. Since 1995, Bangladesh started NIDs to eradicate polio. This was in addition to its nation-wide normal immunisation programme.
The government has been spending Tk 80 crore for observing the NIDs every year to remove the deadly disease from the country.