, April 2 -- The government is fully prepared to prevent the spread of measles, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain said on Thursday.

"Measles has started to spread suddenly. We had no prior preparation, but we are now fully ready to prevent it in a short time," he said while inaugurating a training programme on the use of bubble CPAP in treating measles-related pneumonia and respiratory problems at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

The minister said measles vaccination will begin nationwide next Sunday. "We are shocked by the deaths of so many children. All necessary measures have been taken to prevent an outbreak across the country, including Dhaka and Rajshahi," he added....