Dhaka: Measles cases continue to increase in Bangladesh. Three more children died in the last 24 hours till 8 am on Monday, in which symptoms of measles infection were found. With this, the total number of deaths related to measles in the country has reached 741. Local media outlets and news agencies gave this information.
The Directorate General of Health (DGHS) has put them in the suspicious category. According to the Health Department, so far 648 children have lost their lives due to symptoms similar to measles, while 93 have been confirmed to have measles in lab tests.
According to UNB News Agency, the latest report revealed 947 new suspected cases within 24 hours, taking the total number of suspected cases across the country to 1,06,565. There were also 159 cases confirmed to be measles, bringing the total lab-confirmed cases to 12,791.
The Dhaka Tribune, quoting health department data, reported that 89,734 suspected patients have been admitted to hospital since March 15, of which 86,062 patients have recovered and returned home.
The increasing cases have increased the pressure on the health system and officials have said that surveillance and vaccination campaigns will be intensified.
According to reports, the number of infected children with measles and symptoms similar to measles is continuously increasing. This is the situation when a campaign to vaccinate 1.84 crore children was launched in May.
In June, health experts had said that the infection is continuing to spread in some areas due to lack of vaccination coverage, weak implementation of infection prevention and control measures and lack of surveillance. They also warned that the risk of serious complications could increase in children infected with measles before dengue season begins.
–IANS
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