Bangladesh’s measles outbreak continues to claim children’s lives, with four more deaths and 917 new cases of measles or measles-like symptoms reported across the country in the latest 24-hour period.
According to the latest update from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), three children died after developing symptoms associated with measles, while another child died after being confirmed as having measles. The figures cover the period from Friday to Saturday morning.
The latest deaths bring the number of children who have died from laboratory-confirmed measles since the outbreak began to 100. However, the overall toll is considerably higher when deaths among children with measles-like symptoms are included. Since 15 March, a total of 891 deaths have been reported among children with measles-like symptoms, in addition to the 100 confirmed measles deaths, bringing the combined reported figure to 991.
The latest 24-hour figures also indicate that the outbreak remains active. Of the 917 newly affected children, 74 were confirmed to have measles, while 843 were reported to have symptoms consistent with the disease. During the same period, 761 children were admitted to hospitals and 571 were discharged after treatment.
The scale of the outbreak has raised serious concerns over childhood immunisation coverage and the effectiveness of measures taken to contain transmission. Measles is highly contagious and can spread rapidly among children who have not received adequate vaccination. Severe cases can lead to complications, particularly among young children and those whose health has already been weakened.
The outbreak began intensifying during the early months of this year, with a sharp increase reported from March. Government efforts to expand vaccination were subsequently stepped up, including a nationwide mass immunisation campaign launched in April and completed in May. However, more than 3.9 million children reportedly remained outside the vaccination campaign, leaving a substantial number of children vulnerable to infection.
Health officials and public health experts have faced growing pressure over vaccination coverage, surveillance and the speed of the response. The continued deaths and hundreds of new infections being recorded each day indicate that controlling transmission remains a major challenge.
DGHS data show that, since 15 March, the number of children reported with measles-like symptoms has reached 163,105, while 19,641 confirmed measles cases have been recorded. A total of 143,214 patients have required hospital admission during this period, of whom 137,921 have subsequently been discharged.
The figures underline the continuing strain on hospitals and healthcare services. With thousands of children still being affected and vaccination gaps persisting, sustained immunisation, early diagnosis, appropriate treatment and close monitoring of new cases remain essential to containing the outbreak and preventing further loss of life.
