Dhaka, June 28: The measles crisis in Bangladesh continues to escalate. As of Sunday morning, four children lost their lives within the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 712 due to symptoms resembling measles.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has categorized these four deaths as suspected measles fatalities, noting that none of the cases were confirmed measles infections.
According to government data, 619 children have died due to suspected infections, while the number of confirmed measles deaths remains steady at 93.
In the past 24 hours, there have been 941 new suspected cases of measles. During this time, 889 infected children were hospitalized, and 865 were discharged. Additionally, 116 new confirmed cases were recorded in the same period.
The total number of suspected cases nationwide has surged to 99,207, while the number of lab-confirmed cases has reached 11,710.
Since April 10, the DGHS reports that 82,844 suspected measles patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country, with 79,152 recovering and being discharged.
Health experts cited by Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, identified two main reasons for the persistent measles cases: first, the failure to achieve the target of 95 percent vaccination coverage in all areas, and second, inadequate adherence to infection prevention and control measures in hospitals and communities.
Earlier this month, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus of disrupting the national vaccination program by implementing a new vaccine procurement system, exacerbating the measles outbreak.
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