Dhaka, May 25 (IANS) Measles continues to wreak havoc in Bangladesh. So far 545 children have died due to this infection. According to health officials, 17 more deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours.
According to data released by Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Sunday, from 8 am on May 24 to 8 am on May 25, 16 cases are considered suspected measles-related deaths and one death has been confirmed due to measles.
Since March 15, 458 suspected and 87 confirmed measles-related deaths have been reported across the country.
According to DGHS, Dhaka division recorded the highest number of six suspicious deaths, while Dhaka district alone reported five deaths. There were 1,127 new suspected and 97 confirmed measles cases in the same 24-hour period.
According to the health bulletin, 64,940 suspected and 8,719 confirmed measles infection cases have been reported in the country since March 15, Dhaka Tribune reported.
DGHS said that during this period, 51,585 suspected patients were admitted to the hospital, out of which 47,619 patients have returned home after treatment. This information was released by the Health Emergency Operations Center and Control Room of DGHS.
Dhaka Tribune quoted doctors as saying that by the time many children reach major hospitals, they are suffering from pneumonia and breathing problems. Treatment becomes more difficult and preventable deaths increase.
Recently, UNICEF claimed that during the interim government, they had repeatedly warned that if appropriate steps were not taken, the consequences could be dire.
At a press conference held in Dhaka, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh Rana Flowers said that the UN agency had sent five to six letters to the health ministry on the issue and the matter was also raised in 10 meetings during the tenure of the interim government. He said, “Since 2024, we were warning the government that the lack of vaccine could cause a major health crisis. From 2024 to 2026, we continuously sent letters and made it clear in many meetings that immediate purchase of the vaccine is necessary, but this was not done.”
Rana Flowers said that the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF had also expressed concern over the vaccine crisis in a meeting with the Ministry of External Affairs during his visit to Bangladesh in August last year.
–IANS
kr/