Measles kills 11, death toll reaches 1,076
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said 11 people died with measles and showing its symptoms.
DGHS reported that four deaths that occurred on Monday (unreported) were included in Tuesday’s count due to delayed information reporting. With this, the death toll from measles since March has reached 1,076.
Their data reveals that 1,270 people sought treatment at various hospitals across the country due to measles infection in the last 24 hours. During this period, 113 confirmed measles patients were identified.
Meanwhile, the total number of infected individuals has reached 2,04,300. A large portion of the deceased are children, with most being under 2 years of age. Many have fallen into debt while bearing medical treatment expenses. Although six months have passed since the outbreak began, measles has not been brought under control.
Public health expert and former chief scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Mushtaq Hossain said the government is not giving due importance to the measles situation. Measles is still going through an emergency situation, although the government is not acknowledging it.
According to the DGHS, the highest number of patients suffering from measles symptoms in 24 hours was reported in the Dhaka Division, totaling 382 people. During this time, six people died of measles symptoms in the division.
Dhaka district recorded the highest number of deaths with five fatalities. Following Dhaka is Chattogram, where 238 people were infected with measles symptoms, and two people died of symptoms. During this period, one person each died of measles symptoms in Khulna, Rangpur, and Sylhet.
IEDCR Director Kazi Ahmed Zaki added that children aged six months to 59 months receive the measles vaccine. If the age limit for vaccinated children can be increased, there is an opportunity to achieve better results. It would be beneficial if school children could be brought under the measles vaccination coverage.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said almost all children infected with measles in the country are unvaccinated. To bring left-out children under vaccination coverage, the government is launching a special vaccination program starting 26 September. The program, titled “Intensified MR Catch-Up Vaccination”, will continue until 31 October.
