The government has set a target of vaccinating a further 3.4 million children who were missed by its nationwide measles-rubella campaign, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said on Saturday, adding that nearly 1,000 children among the nearly 18.5 million have died after contracting measles.

The government launched the immunisation drive in three phases from April 5 after taking office, intensifying it nationwide from April 20. About 18.5 million children have been vaccinated so far, Husain said.

The special programme covers children aged 6 months to 59 months and runs until October 31. A million doses have been held in reserve for emergency use, and vaccination will continue under the routine immunisation programme.

The health minister was speaking at the launch of the “Nationwide Special Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign 2026” at the T&T playground in Korail, Mohakhali, in Dhaka. Md Safiqul Islam Khan, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, chaired the event.

The minister blamed the previous government for failing to keep routine immunisation running effectively between December 2020 and April 2026, and for protracted delays in importing vaccines on the pretext of open-tender procedures. He said the nation had borne the cost of those failures and many mothers had lost their children.

Expressing deep sorrow and condolence, he said the death of every child was “profoundly painful” for the government and, at the same time, a “matter of shame”.

He also held the ousted Awami League government and the interim administration that followed responsible for four years of negligence and delay in measles vaccination, which he said had claimed many young lives.

The current government had acted swiftly and mounted a large-scale vaccination campaign nationwide, the minister said.