Faridpur Measles Outbreak: Death Toll Reaches 20 as Cases Surge

Two more children have died from measles-like symptoms at Faridpur Medical College Hospital (FMCH), raising the hospital's death toll from the current outbreak to 20. The local health department has expressed mounting concern as 54 new patients were admitted over the past 24 hours.

Hospital sources confirmed the recent deaths of seven-month-old Ayan, son of Barkat from Gopalganj’s Muksudpur upazila, and two-year-old Adiba, daughter of Rafsan from Faridpur Sadar. Both children passed away while receiving treatment after being admitted with severe symptoms.

According to the District Civil Surgeon’s Office, 190 patients are currently undergoing treatment for measles symptoms in government hospitals across the district.

Faridpur Civil Surgeon Dr. Mahmudul Hasan attributed the recent spike to increased travel during the recent Eid holidays. “Infections have risen slightly as people traveled to their village homes. However, we expect the situation to stabilize and patient numbers to drop within the next ten days,” he said.

Dr. Hasan urged parents to act swiftly to protect their children. “If a child shows symptoms of measles, seek immediate medical advice from the nearest health center or doctor without delay. If necessary, admit them to the hospital,” he advised.

To curb the spread, the health department is expanding vaccination drives and public awareness campaigns, heavily emphasizing the critical need for all children to receive their scheduled measles-rubella (MR) vaccines on time.