Dhaka, August 5: The measles outbreak in Bangladesh continues to escalate. Following the deaths of five more children in the last 24 hours, the total number of fatalities has now reached 854.
According to local media reports, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) confirmed the five new deaths as of Wednesday morning. All these cases are categorized as suspicious.
DGHS data indicates that 96 deaths have been confirmed due to measles, while 758 deaths are considered suspicious.
In the past 24 hours, there have been 959 new suspected cases of measles, raising the total number of suspected cases to 132,905. During the same period, 124 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the total confirmed cases to 16,655.
Meanwhile, a joint report published by two humanitarian organizations on Tuesday revealed that at least nine out of ten families affected by measles have had to take loans to cover treatment costs, while six out of ten families have exhausted their entire savings.
The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) studied data from 2,746 families receiving treatment at 12 government medical colleges and district hospitals across the country.
The report states that each family has spent an average of 16,000 Bangladeshi Taka on measles treatment. Many parents reported that they had to take time off work to care for their sick children, resulting in lost income, with some even losing their jobs.
Public health expert Mushtuq Hussain noted that the financial burden of measles treatment on low-income families exemplifies “medical impoverishment.” He stated that the government had promised free primary health services in its election manifesto, but this has not been evident during the current measles crisis. He emphasized that people need government assistance the most during such emergencies.
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