Dhaka: As many as seven children died from symptoms similar to measles in Bangladesh in 24 hours till 8 am on Thursday, raising the death toll since March 15 to 488, local media reported.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), four deaths were suspected as measles-related while three were confirmed by laboratory. Among the latest fatalities, the highest number of deaths were reported in Chittagong, leading Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.
Since March 15, Bangladesh has reported 405 suspected measles deaths and 83 confirmed deaths. During the same period, 1,423 new suspected measles cases were reported, raising the total number of suspected infections to 59,279.
During the same period, 208 new confirmed measles cases were reported, taking the total number of confirmed infections to 8,275. According to the report, 46,407 suspected patients have been hospitalised since March 15 while 42,336 patients have been discharged from the hospital after recovery, Dhaka Tribune reported.
As Bangladesh grapples with an escalating measles outbreak, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said that it had repeatedly warned the country’s earlier interim government led by Muhammad Yunus – both through written communication and meetings with health ministry officials – about vaccine shortages that could trigger a major health crisis.
Addressing a press briefing in Dhaka, Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative to Bangladesh, said that the UN agency sent five to six letters to the health authorities on the issue and raised the matter in 10 meetings during the tenure of the interim government, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star.
“From 2024, we were warning the government that the shortage of vaccines could lead to an outbreak. From 2024 to 2025 into 2026, we sent letters, and we had 10 different meetings signalling this was a problem and that orders for vaccines needed to be given. They could not,” The Daily Star quoted Flowers as saying.
According to Flowers, Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, raised concerns over vaccine shortage at a meeting with the foreign ministry during his visit to Bangladesh in August last year.
She added that the UN agency would provide evidence to assist the investigation launched by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party( BNP) led government on the measles outbreak.
(IANS)
