FROM PAGE 12

In the petition it is mentioned that more than 500 children have died so far due to the devastating measles outbreak since March.

“Thousands of children across the country are being infected, and the situation has already turned into one of the most serious public health crises in the country’s recent history. These deaths were neither sudden nor unavoidable.”

Rather, the disaster resulted from policy changes in vaccine procurement and supply systems, disruption of long-standing effective mechanisms, disregard of warnings from international organisations, and the lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure. Notably, Bangladesh had previously received the Gavi Award twice for its success in eliminating measles and rubella between 2009 and 2015, according to the petition.

The Law and Life Foundation Trust further stated in the petition that serious disruptions in the supply of measles vaccines and immunisation activities arose after the previous interim government decided to replace the long-standing UNICEF-managed vaccine procurement system with an open tender method. UNICEF reportedly issued repeated warnings to the then health adviser, Nurjahan Begum, about the potential vaccine shortage, outbreak risks, and possible child deaths, but those warnings were allegedly ignored.

INQUIRY COMMISSION

In response to a separate writ petition, the same HC bench issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks why it should not be directed to form an inquiry commission into child deaths caused by the measles outbreak.

The cabinet secretary, health secretary, home secretary, public administration secretary and the director general of DGHS, among other officials, were named as respondents.

Filed as public interest litigation on May 17, Supreme Court lawyer M Ashraful Islam in the petition sought directives to probe the role of former chief adviser of the interim government Dr Muhammad Yunus and other advisers over the measles vaccine shortage and to bar 24 individuals -- including Dr Yunus and all former advisers -- from leaving the country until the inquiry is complete.

The petition stated that UNICEF had warned the Yunus‑led interim government about the impending measles crisis, yet neither Dr Yunus nor the health adviser took steps to prevent the deaths of children.