Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh
'My Child Is Gone. Will I Be Able to Save the Baby in the Womb?'
Parents mourn as daughter dies with measles-like symptoms.
For five days, the parents fought to save their daughter. Her condition would briefly improve, then deteriorate again. She would open her eyes, giving them a flicker of hope, only for the struggle between life and death to resume. In the end, Nasir Uddin and Khurshida Akhter lost the battle. Their only beloved child, Umme Habiba, died around 1:00 pm on Wednesday.
The two years and four-month-old girl died in the Pediatrics Department’s Measles Block at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Her mother, Khurshida Akhter, broke down in grief, crying out, “Why did Allah take my only daughter? We rushed her to the hospital immediately. My daughter did not even get to call me ‘Amma’ one last time.”
Nasir Uddin’s home is in Chamabal area of Banshkhali upazila. He works as a construction helper. The couple had been married for three and a half years. Their daughter was just over two years old. Habiba first developed a fever, followed by cold and cough symptoms. They initially brought her to CMCH, where she received treatment and later returned home.
Nasir said they brought their daughter to the hospital once about two weeks ago. After a few days of treatment in the Pediatrics Department, doctors discharged them as her condition improved slightly. She had shown signs of recovery. However, five days ago, her illness returned, and they brought her back to the hospital. Doctors placed her on oxygen support. She already had a fever, and two days ago, a rash appeared on Umme Habiba’s body. Her condition deteriorated from that point onward. Despite being placed on oxygen, the child could not be saved.
A doctor at the department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the child showed symptoms consistent with measles. Only laboratory tests could confirm whether she had contracted the disease. “We are treating her based on measles symptoms. Even vaccinated children are now getting measles. However, it appears the child may not have been vaccinated,” the doctor added.
Khurshida Akhter said her daughter had received several government vaccinations and that they had a vaccination card. However, she could not remember whether she had received the measles vaccine.
There was a shortage of measles vaccines in the country during the period when the child was supposed to receive it. Umme Habiba’s body still lay on the hospital bed, covered with a cloth. Nearby, other children showing measles-like symptoms were receiving treatment. As she packed her daughter’s clothes and bedding, Khurshida cried uncontrollably, sometimes collapsing onto the floor in grief.
Her husband, Nasir Uddin, tried to console her, his own eyes filled with tears. He said only, “One is already gone. My wife is now pregnant. She has broken down completely. Will we be able to save the baby in her womb?”