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Bangladesh measles toll rises to 1,207 as two more children die
Health officials logged 995 new suspected cases in a single day, taking the year's total past 2.17 lakh.
Key points
- Two more children died with measles-like symptoms, taking confirmed and suspected deaths to 1,207.
- Bangladesh recorded 995 new suspected cases in the 24 hours to 8 am on Friday.
- Nearly 1.94 lakh suspected patients have been admitted to hospital since 15 March.
Two more children have died with measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh, taking the country’s toll from the outbreak this year to 1,207, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Both deaths, recorded in the 24 hours to 8 am on Friday, were classed as suspected measles deaths. That takes suspected deaths to 1,103 this year. Laboratory-confirmed deaths stand unchanged at 104.
The spread shows little sign of slowing. Health officials logged 995 new suspected cases in the same 24 hours, bringing the total since the start of the year to 2,17,760. Another 36 cases were confirmed in the laboratory, for a cumulative 23,248 confirmed cases.
Hospitals have carried much of the load. Since 15 March, 1,93,608 suspected measles patients have been admitted across the country, the DGHS said, and 1,85,927 of them have recovered and gone home. The gap of 7,681 covers both patients still under treatment and those who did not survive. Hospitals have now been admitting suspected measles patients in large numbers for more than seven months.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known and spreads through the air. Children who have not been vaccinated are the most at risk, and complications such as pneumonia and brain swelling can kill.
The outbreak is a major test for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government, which took office this year. The latest DGHS figures carried no update on vaccination.