Measles Claims 12 More Lives in a Single Day, Raising Alarms
Representational Image. Agamir Somoy.
It is one more saddening day. Over the past 24 hours, 12 more people have died across the country due to measles and measles-related symptoms. Among them, one death was confirmed by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) as being directly caused by measles, while the remaining 11 died with symptoms.
Nationwide, this brings the total death toll from the disease and its symptoms to 336.
The DGHS provided this information in a press release on Thursday afternoon. The report specified that in the last day, six deaths occurred in the Dhaka division, two in Rajshahi, and one each in the Barishal, Khulna, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions.
Furthermore, 286 new cases of measles were confirmed in the last 24 hours, while 1,238 individuals were identified with symptoms of the disease. Since March 15, a total of 45,498 people have shown symptoms, with 6,208 cases officially confirmed as measles.
According to the DGHS, from March 15 to Thursday, a total of 31,912 patients were hospitalized with measles symptoms. Among them, 28,238 have recovered and been discharged.
Experts suggest that while increasing the vaccine supply is a positive step, it is not sufficient on its own. They emphasize that improving the situation will be difficult without effective surveillance to control transmission, rapid identification, increased medical facilities, and special attention to high-risk populations.
Public health expert Mushtaq Hussain noted, "Along with rapid vaccination, it is essential to identify and isolate patients, implement special programs in high-risk areas, and ensure free medical treatment."