Photo : BSS

CHATTOGRAM, April 19, 2026 (BSS) - An emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign is set to begin in Chattogram on Monday, targeting nearly 7.68 lakh children across the district.

According to the Civil Surgeon's Office, a total of 767,952 children in 15 upazilas will be brought under the Measles-Rubella Emergency Vaccination Campaign-2026.

Civil Surgeon Dr Jahangir Alam announced the plan at a press conference held at his office today.

Of the total target, 151,755 are school-going children while 616,197 will be vaccinated at the community level. The campaign will be carried out over 11 working days from May 20 to June 10.

All children aged between 6 months and 5 years will receive a dose of the measles-rubella vaccine during the drive. Children who have already received measles vaccines under routine immunisation programmes will still need to be vaccinated again as part of this campaign.

The vaccination programme will cover 200 unions and 600 wards across the district, with 4,815 centres set up at the grassroots level.

To implement the campaign, 929 field workers, 524 Community Health Care Providers and 371 medical officers will be deployed.

Dr Jahangir Alam stressed the importance of timely vaccination, noting that measles and rubella are highly contagious and can lead to serious complications in children. 

He said the campaign aims to achieve at least 95 percent coverage to ensure effective protection.