Six more children have succumbed to measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh over a 24-hour reporting period, bringing the total number of fatalities linked to suspected and confirmed cases to 1,295 since mid-March. According to the latest daily bulletin released by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Wednesday, no fatalities directly confirmed as lab-tested measles were recorded during the same period, though fresh infections continue to surge nationwide.
The data, compiled from 8:00 am on Tuesday to 8:00 am on Wednesday, reveals that 1,464 new patients were registered across the country with confirmed or suspected symptoms of the viral disease. Amongst the newly reported deaths, two occurred in the Mymensingh division, two in Dhaka, and one each in the Chattogram and Sylhet divisions.
Health records indicate a widening health emergency since official tracking began on 15 March. Over the past eight months, 1,190 children have died showing symptoms consistent with measles, whilst 105 deaths have been formally verified through laboratory tests as measles-induced. The cumulative burden of suspected cases has now surpassed 242,000, with over 24,700 confirmed infections nationwide.
The ongoing surge highlights persistent gaps in paediatric immunization coverage across several subregions. Despite repeated emergency vaccination drives conducted by public health authorities in coordination with international health bodies, healthcare systems continue to experience high admission rates. Public health experts have consistently stressed the importance of restoring routine immunisation schedules, administering Vitamin A supplements, and expanding isolation capacity within divisional hospitals to curb community transmission, particularly among vulnerable infants under five years of age.
The Directorate General of Health Services stated that monitoring teams are keeping high-risk areas under close surveillance. Meanwhile, health officials have urged parents to ensure their children receive the complete two-dose Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine to prevent severe complications and further fatalities.
