Dhaka, April 20 -- Bangladesh has launched a nationwide emergency vaccination drive to combat the recent outbreak of measles.

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain inspected a temporary vaccination centre in Dhaka's Shahjadpur on Monday as part of the measles-rubella vaccination programme.

Officials from the Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) said the programme aims to vaccinate more than 17 million children aged between six months and five years. They also said that more than 1.1 million children across the country will be vaccinated on the first day of the programme.

Under the programme, the measles-rubella vaccine will be distributed from 8am at all permanent and temporary vaccination centres in the country, except for week...