Dhaka, July 24: The measles outbreak in Bangladesh continues to escalate. On Thursday, two more children succumbed to the disease, raising the death toll to 805.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), these fatalities were reported within the last 24 hours. The Bangladeshi news agency ‘UNB’ indicates that these deaths are currently classified as suspected cases of measles.
As per reports, confirmed deaths from measles remain at 95, while the number of suspected deaths has surged to 710.
In the past 24 hours, the DGHS recorded 848 new suspected cases of measles. Since March 15, the total number of suspected cases has reached 121,200.
Additionally, 166 new confirmed cases of measles have been reported, bringing the total confirmed cases to 15,007.
Amid this growing health crisis, reports suggest that an average of four children die daily from measles, with over 800 individuals being hospitalized each day. Meanwhile, both government efforts and public awareness appear to be waning.
The government claims it has achieved its target for the emergency measles vaccination campaign. However, hospitals continue to see a significant influx of unvaccinated patients, indicating that vaccination coverage remains insufficient.
The situation has remained critical during the first three weeks of July. According to DGHS data, an average of 1,005 suspected and confirmed cases have emerged daily, with 821 individuals requiring hospitalization and approximately four fatalities reported.
Mahmoodur Rahman, chair of the National Verification Committee for the elimination of measles and rubella, stated that while some improvement has been noted, it falls short of expectations two months into the vaccination campaign. He expressed concern that officials may not fully grasp the severity of the situation.
Health experts attribute the ongoing outbreak to approximately 4 million children missing vaccinations. Furthermore, the spread of infection among older children, who exceed the campaign’s age limit, has compounded the issue, and preventive measures have proven inadequate.
Rahman emphasized that the gap of 4 million children between the measles-rubella vaccination campaign and the vitamin A campaign indicates a significant number of children remain unvaccinated and at risk of infection.
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