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Health experts have urged women to complete essential vaccinations before and during pregnancy to prevent life-threatening diseases such as congenital rubella, neonatal tetanus and HPV-related conditions.
Twenty-five-year-old Samia Akhter, a resident of Dhaka's Green Road area, recently gave birth to a baby boy. While her family life appeared stable, financial hardship prevented her from following recommended health guidelines during pregnancy.
She later developed complications and, after childbirth, visited a family doctor. Medical evaluation revealed that she had missed several key vaccinations during pregnancy.
"Good health is essential for everyone, but it is especially important for women, as it directly affects the next generation," said Professor Rahela Akhter, a gynecologist. "A healthy mother is crucial for delivering a healthy child."
Community medicine specialist Prof Dr. Md. Shahidullah said, "Some vaccines are especially necessary for unborn children and newborns to protect from various diseases in addition to ensuring women's good health. The only vaccine to prevent measles and rubella, and the TT vaccine to prevent tetanus are among these vaccines."
"The measles vaccine is very important for a pregnant woman. If a woman is infected with the rubella virus during pregnancy, the baby may be born with serious health problems, such as cataracts, small head, and deafness. This is called congenital rubella syndrome. Any child should receive the first dose of the MR vaccine when they are nine months old and the second dose when they are 15 months old," he said.
