Dhaka, June 20 (IANS). The outbreak of measles is becoming increasingly serious in Bangladesh. The death of seven more children on Saturday brings the total number of confirmed and suspected measles deaths to 677 since March 15 this year. Amidst the deepening health crisis in the country, cases of infection are also increasing rapidly.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), seven deaths of children, who are suspected to be suffering from measles, were recorded in the last 24 hours till Saturday morning. With this the number of suspected deaths has increased to 584, while the number of confirmed deaths remains at 93.
According to DGHS data, 807 new suspected cases of measles have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of suspected patients to 91,789. 80 new confirmed cases were registered during the same period, after which the total number of confirmed infected people has increased to 10,949.
According to reports, the total number of measles and suspected measles cases has crossed the one lakh mark. This is the situation when just a month ago a large-scale vaccination campaign was conducted covering 1.84 crore children.
Health experts say the disease has not been brought under control in some areas due to lack of vaccination coverage and weak implementation of infection control measures. Experts have warned that the onset of dengue season could further increase the risk of serious complications in children infected with measles.
Public health expert Mushtuk Hussain said there are two main reasons for the lack of decline in measles cases – not achieving 95 percent vaccination coverage in all areas and not adequately following infection prevention measures in hospitals and communities.
Meanwhile, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the former interim government and the current government of disrupting the vaccination program. He said that in an attempt to implement the new vaccine procurement system, the vaccination system was affected and due to the alleged negligence and incompetence of the present government, the disease has taken the form of an epidemic.
Sheikh Hasina alleged that lakhs of children in 61 districts of the country are affected by the disease and according to official figures, more than 600 children have died, while the actual number could be much higher. He termed it not just an accident but an “administrative crime”.
–IANS
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