Bangladesh’s measles-linked death toll has crossed the 600-mark after seven more children died of the disease over the past 24 hours as health officials said on Wednesday.
According to the latest bulletin from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the total number of fatalities has reached 601 since the outbreak intensified on March 15.
Of the total deaths, 90 children died from laboratory-confirmed measles, while 511 passed away after showing severe symptoms of the highly contagious viral disease. The capital, Dhaka has recorded the highest number of symptomatic deaths at 210 followed by Rajshahi Division with 85 fatalities.
The DGHS reported 55 new confirmed measles infections during the last 24-hour period raising the total number of confirmed cases nationwide to 9,191.
Hospitalization rates remain alarming. In the past 24 hours, 1,210 patients with measles symptoms sought medical care across the country with 1,055 requiring hospital admission. Hospitals in Dhaka experienced the heaviest rush and admitting 384 patients while Rangpur Division recorded the lowest with 18 admissions.
Since March 15, the overall number of suspected measles cases across Bangladesh has reached 74,572. Out of these 60,158 patients required hospitalization, while 55,000 have been successfully discharged after treatment.
Health authorities are urging parents to ensure their children are vaccinated and to seek immediate medical intervention if a child develops a high fever accompanied by rashes.
