As Bangladesh’s measles outbreak worsened, six more children died from measles-like symptoms in the past 24 hours leading up to July 25, bringing the country’s total tally of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 816.
As per data obtained from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the total number of suspected measles deaths in the country has risen to 721 while the number of laboratory-confirmed measles deaths has reached 95, reports Business Standard BD.
During the same period, a total of 613 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, bringing the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 1,22,763.
Additionally, 78 new confirmed measles cases have been recorded, bringing the combined tally of laboratory-confirmed infections to 15,272.
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According to DGHS data, since March 15, a total of 1,05,298 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalized across the country, of whom 1,01,535 have recovered, according to DGHS data.
According to WHO, the cumulative burden of measles related infections since March 15 have been reported in Dhaka (8,263 cases), Rajshahi (3,747 cases), Chattogram (2,514 cases), and Khulna (1,568 cases).
In Dhaka, cases are concentrated in densely populated informal settlements, including Demra, Jatrabari, Kamrangirchar, Korail, Mirpur, and Tejgaon industrial and slum clusters.
Furthermore, children, especially those at the age of five or below account for an overwhelming majority of total infections, at an estimated 79%.
The country’s health system has come under severe strain with regional hospitals in districts like Mymensingh operating at double their intended bed capacity, with doctors having been forced to treat children in corridors and implement early discharges just to make room for severe incoming cases.
