Dhaka, June 4 (IANS) Four more people died of measles and measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh on Thursday, taking the total number of confirmed and suspected deaths to 605 since March 15 this year amid the growing health crisis in the country, according to local media reports.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), these deaths were reported in the preceding 24 hours on Thursday morning.
Of the four deceased, one was confirmed to have died of measles, while the remaining three died with symptoms of the disease, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported.
According to reports, the number of confirmed deaths has increased to 91, while the number of suspected deaths has reached 514.
The DGHS also reported 1,136 new suspected cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 75,708.
Additionally, 69 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed cases during the same period to 9,260.
According to an editorial in Bangladesh’s Daily Star newspaper, there is an alarming increase in measles infections in the country, resulting in increasing complications and mortality among children.
It further said that the pandemic has placed immense pressure on healthcare facilities across the country, especially on pediatric ICU support, isolation wards, ventilatory care and infection control systems.
Meanwhile, expressing grave concern over the rising outbreak of measles across the country, the Awami League said the crisis was not a ‘natural disaster’ but a ‘man-made failure of governance’ that started during the tenure of the former Mohammad Yunus-led interim government and is continuing under the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government.
The Awami League alleged that the roots of this tragedy lie in the disastrous decisions taken during the interim government.
Authorities under the interim regime in September 2025 reportedly abandoned the reliable vaccine procurement system through the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and switched to a ‘difficult’ open tender process, despite repeated warnings from UNICEF, including multiple formal letters and high-level meetings.
The Awami League said, “The outcome was predictable and devastating, creating a huge immunity gap among millions of children, especially those under five, who now constitute a large proportion of the victims. Independent investigators have described it as a ‘man-made genocide’ perpetrated by administrative arrogance and incompetence.”
The party further said that Prime Minister Tariq Rahman and the BNP government took office in February this year with full knowledge of the emerging crisis, but the response over the past four months has been worryingly inadequate, as the death toll from the measles outbreak continues to rise.
Demanding immediate action, the Awami League urged the Bangladesh government to declare a national public health emergency with clear timelines, targets and daily public reporting. It also called for a rapid emergency vaccination campaign and treatment with full transparency and international monitoring.
The party also called on the authorities to launch an independent and timely investigation into the procurement failures that occurred during the tenure of the interim government and hold the culprits accountable.
–IANS
DKP/
