Four More Children Die With Measles Symptoms

Four more children have died with symptoms consistent with measles across Bangladesh in the past 24 hours, raising the cumulative death toll linked to measles and its symptoms to 820 since 15 March, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The latest figures were released on Sunday (26 July) in the DGHS’s regular measles situation report, which continues to monitor the spread of the disease and its impact across the country.

According to the report, all four deaths recorded during the past day involved children who exhibited symptoms associated with measles. No deaths among laboratory-confirmed measles patients were reported during the same period.

Since 15 March, a total of 820 people have died from confirmed measles or its associated symptoms nationwide. Of these, 725 deaths were recorded among individuals who developed measles-related symptoms, while 95 people died after being diagnosed with confirmed measles.

The number of new infections and suspected cases also remains significant. During the last 24 hours, health authorities confirmed 170 new measles infections through testing. At the same time, another 990 people developed symptoms consistent with the disease. Combined, this means 1,160 new suspected or confirmed cases were identified over the reporting period.

The DGHS said that, from 15 March to Sunday, a total of 123,753 people across the country have developed symptoms associated with measles. During the same period, laboratory testing confirmed 15,442 measles cases.

Hospital admissions linked to the outbreak also remain high. According to the health authority’s latest report, 106,239 people have been admitted to hospitals with confirmed measles or related symptoms since 15 March. Among them, 102,467 patients have recovered sufficiently to be discharged after receiving treatment.

The latest figures indicate that thousands of patients have required hospital care during the outbreak, while a smaller number remain under treatment.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads primarily through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Young children are particularly vulnerable to severe complications, especially if they have not received the recommended vaccinations. Public health officials continue to monitor the outbreak through routine surveillance and reporting, with daily updates tracking new infections, hospital admissions and fatalities.

The DGHS has continued to publish regular situation reports to assess the progress of the outbreak and provide updated information on confirmed cases, suspected infections, hospitalisations and deaths as health authorities respond to the continuing spread of the disease.