Bangladesh’s measles outbreak continues to worsen as seven more children died in the country in the past 24hrs, taking the total death toll to 601, as per the data of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
So far this year, at least 90 children have died directly from confirmed measles infections, while another 511 children have died due to symptoms consistent with the disease.
The tally on record is suspected to likely be far higher due to the heavy underreporting of cases, especially in the hinterland areas.
The surge in infections is most prominent in the Dhaka division, which is forming the diseases’ epicentre with over 33,470 suspected cases, while Rajshahi, Chattogram, and Khulna divisions are experiencing severe patient surges, completely overwhelming local health infrastructure.
During the same period, 1,210 patients with measles-like symptoms were admitted to hospitals across the country.
Among them, 55 cases were laboratory-confirmed as measles, the DGHS said in its latest health bulletin, with the total surge of laboratory tested cases going up to 9,191 between March 15 and June 3, reports Business Standard BD.
According to the health bulletin, a total of 74,572 suspected measles cases have been identified nationwide during the outbreak, of which 55,942 patients have already been discharged after receiving treatment.
While the government launched an emergency vaccination campaign to combat the outbreak, it is failing to stop the rapid transmission due to a critical, prolonged vaccine stockout since the Yunu-led interim government’s total neglect of healthcare, leaving millions of children completely unprotected, and creating an overwhelming “immunity gap” that has overburdened the country’s health infrastructure.
