Administering oral cholera vaccine has been started in five areas of the capital.

According to Director General of Health Services (DGHS), this campaign is the largest cholera vaccination programme in the history of the country. About 24 lakh residents of Dhaka city will be administered till July 2.

DGHS requested the residents living under Jatrabari, Mohammadpur, Sabujbag, Dakshinkhan and Mirpur police stations in Dhaka city to receive the oral cholera vaccines taking precautionary measures against the ongoing Covid-19.

It is learned that the first dose of cholera vaccine is being administered from 8am to 4pm till July 2. The vaccine will be administered to some 5 lakh residents of Jatrabari,  4.2 lakh of Sabujbag, 2.8 lakh of Dakshinkhan, 7.8 lakh 60 of Mirpur and about 4 lakh of Mohammadpur.

The campaign is being implemented through about 700 vaccination centers.

Those who get oral vaccine Sunday under the first phase they have been asked to take the second dose after 14 days.

The oral vaccine will be given to all people aged above one year.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque inaugurated the campaign at International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in city’s Mohakhali on Sunday afternoon.

Deputy Director of Disease Control, DGHS, Md. Shafiqul Islam gave the welcome speech in the programme.

The inugural function was also addressed by Dr M Anwar Hossain Howlader, DG of the DGHS Professor Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam and ICDDR,B's executive director Dr Tahmid Ahmed.

In her speech, Dr Ferdous Quadri highlighted various aspects of the oral cholera vaccination campaign.

She also laid emphasis on other preventive measures like use of safe water, safe sanitation system and personal hygiene.