Dhaka, May 2 (IANS). Four more children with measles symptoms have died in Bangladesh, taking the death toll since March 15 to 280. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) gave this information.
Citing DGHS data, local media reported that 170 new suspected cases of measles were reported in a span of 24 hours (from Thursday to Friday), taking the total number of suspected cases to 38,301.
115 new confirmed cases were recorded over the same period, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 5,146. Of the total deaths since March 15, 49 have been confirmed as measles, while 231 deaths have been recorded as suspected cases.
According to local media, of the newly identified cases, 942 people were hospitalized, while 893 patients were discharged after treatment.
Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) had appealed for immediate action to control the measles outbreak spreading in Bangladesh. The organization warned that if surveillance, rapid response systems and vaccination coverage were not improved, the infection could spread rapidly.
WHO has advised that coverage of both doses of measles vaccine be ensured at least 95 percent in all urban areas. Additionally, emphasis was also laid on strengthening the integrated surveillance system for early identification of suspected cases in public and private health institutions.
Recent reports have also revealed that the country’s health sector, which had developed over decades, is now in danger of weakening. According to leading newspaper ‘The Daily Star’, national vaccination coverage is expected to drop to around 60 per cent in 2025, which is the lowest level in the last decade. Earlier, between 2010 and 2022, it remained between 85 and 92 percent.
Bangladesh’s Expanded Immunization Program (EPI) has long been considered a major public health success, having largely controlled vaccine-preventable diseases. But the current crisis points to the weakness in this system.
Health experts have warned that if effective measures are not taken immediately, a widespread outbreak of measles could spread. On an average, an infected person can infect 16 to 18 people, making the situation more serious.
–IANS
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