Measles outbreak in Bangladesh claims five more lives; death toll rises to 758

Dhaka, July 12 (IANS) As many as five children died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours until 8 a.m. (local time) on Sunday, bringing the combined tally of confirmed and suspected measles-related fatalities to 758, local media reported.

The number of suspected measles deaths has climbed to 664, while laboratory-confirmed deaths remained at 94, according to the latest data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh’s The Business Standard reported.

During this period, Bangladesh reported 879 new suspected measles cases, raising the total number of suspected infections to 111,480.

As many as 90 new laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in Bangladesh, bringing the total number of confirmed measles infections in the country to 13,500.

A total of 94,340 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised in Bangladesh since March 15, according to the DGHS data, The Business Standard reported. Of those, 90,605 patients have recovered in Bangladesh, according to the health authorities.

As hospitals in Bangladesh continue to remain overwhelmed with more than 900 daily measles admissions, health experts have warned that a rise in dengue cases threatens to further strain the healthcare system and increase the risk of more fatalities, local media reported.

Reports suggest that major public hospitals in Dhaka, which have treated thousands of dengue patients during past outbreaks, remain heavily burdened by measles cases. Experts cautioned that any surge in dengue infections could place additional pressure on already limited healthcare resources and disrupt delivery of medical care.

The dengue situation deteriorated in June, with rising infections and fatalities — accounting for 48 per cent of all cases and 72 per cent of deaths recorded so far this year, Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reported.

Health experts warned that both figures could climb further during the peak monsoon months of July and August unless authorities strengthen measures to curb dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes.

Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury, associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), said that although measles cases have started to decline, the pace has been slower than expected.

“At the same time, the monsoon is creating ideal conditions for mosquito breeding, and dengue cases have already started rising. This will definitely put additional pressure on hospitals,” The Daily Star quoted Chowdhury as saying.

To prevent the situation from escalating into a larger public health crisis, he and other experts called on the Bangladeshi authorities to boost larval control measures, expand temporary treatment facilities, and set up dedicated dengue units to ease the dual disease burden.

–IANS

akl/vd