DHAKA: A measles outbreak in Bangladesh has killed more than 500 children, government data showed Saturday, marking the country&#39;s deadliest surge in decades of the preventable disease.&nbsp;Hospitals in the capital Dhaka have been overwhelmed with cases and set up dedicated wards to take patients, but are scrambling with a shortage of intensive care beds.&nbsp;Deaths are still rising, with 13 children dying in the past 24 hours alone, taking the toll from the disaster to 512, according to health department figures since March 15.&nbsp;The South Asian nation has rolled out a mass vaccination drive to combat the outbreak, and UNICEF country chief Rana Flowers said this week that the campaign has now reached 18 million children.&nbsp;But the health department said the full impact of the vaccinations would take months to be felt.&nbsp;UNICEF said on Wednesday that gaps in immunization worsened during and after the chaos of a 2024 uprising that toppled the country&#39;s autocratic government, leaving large numbers of children unprotected.&nbsp;Measles is highly contagious, spreading through coughs and sneezes, and has no specific treatment once caught.&nbsp;Complications can include brain swelling and severe breathing problems. While the disease can affect anyone, it is most common among children.&nbsp;Health workers say the worst-hit children are often malnourished and from low-income families.&nbsp;Many had missed routine vaccinations or had weakened immunity due to poor nutrition, or both.&nbsp;The health department&#39;s death toll comes after the government claimed the outbreak was now contained, noting a decline in cases in several previously hard-hit areas.&nbsp;Most cases recorded in Bangladesh during the current outbreak have been among children aged between six months and five years.&nbsp;Doctors say many of the children arriving at hospitals are already critically ill.&nbsp;&quot;Though measles is highly contagious, a healthy baby with no complications can survive with minimal medication,&quot; Ainul Islam Khan, a paediatrician at Dhaka&#39;s Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;Here, most children came to the hospital with respiratory distress and infections in the eyes, throat and lungs.&quot;&nbsp;UNICEF&#39;s Flowers stressed the need to boost vaccination programmes and increase funding for health facilities, surveillance and data systems in the future.

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Bangladesh’s measles outbreak has killed 512 children since March, overwhelming hospitals in Dhaka. UNICEF says disrupted immunization after 2024 unrest worsened the crisis. Authorities vaccinated 18 million children, but officials warn recovery and outbreak control will take months.

Measles outbreak kills more than 500 children in Bangladesh

DHAKA: Bangladesh has recorded 311 child deaths since March in one of its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-pm-orders-probe-into-measles-outbreak" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">worst measles outbreaks</a>&nbsp;in decades, government data showed Monday. The number of suspected cases has reached 41,793, while authorities logged the highest daily death toll since the outbreak began on March 15, with 17 children dead within 24 hours. &quot;Some children were already in a critical condition to a point of no return,&quot; government health services spokesman Zahid Raihan told AFP. &quot;That&#39;s why the recorded deaths are still increasing.&quot; Measles is highly contagious, spreading through coughs and sneezes, and has no specific treatment once caught. Complications can include brain swelling and severe breathing problems. While the disease can affect anyone, it is most common among children. Most cases recorded in Bangladesh during the current&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/halal-concerns-drive-vaccine-hesitancy-as-indonesia-fights-measles-outbreak" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">outbreak</a>&nbsp;have been among children aged between six months and five years. Health officials are working to vaccinate children in the country of 170 million people, with support from the UN children&#39;s agency, the World Health Organization (WHO) and security forces. The WHO estimates as many as 95,000 measles deaths globally every year, mostly among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under the age of five, according to its latest statistics.

Bangladesh has recorded 311 child deaths since March in one of its worst measles outbreaks in decades, according to the country's health officials. (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reports 311 child deaths and 41,793 suspected measles cases since March outbreak, officials say, as health authorities and WHO-led partners intensify vaccination efforts nationwide among young children Monday report.

Bangladesh measles outbreak kills 311 children since March

DHAKA: Bangladesh&#39;s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered an urgent nationwide review following a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/halal-concerns-drive-vaccine-hesitancy-as-indonesia-fights-measles-outbreak" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">measles outbreak</a> with more than 600 cases, officials said Monday. PM Rahman has directed two senior ministers to travel across the South Asian nation of 170 million people to assess the scale of the crisis and coordinate response efforts, according to a statement from his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Ministry of Health senior official Halimur Rashid, head of the disease control unit, said there have been 674 measles cases across the country this year. Measles is one of the world&#39;s most contagious diseases, according to the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/middle-east-war-at-perilous-stage-with-strikes-around-nuclear-sites-who" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Health Organization</a>, and spreads through coughs or sneezes. Complications can include brain swelling and severe breathing problems. While it can affect anyone, it is most common in children. Bangladesh has made significant advancements in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-vaccinates-over-44m-children-in-first-polio-campaign-of-2026" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">vaccinations</a> to tackle infectious disease, but a measles drive that had been due in June 2024 was delayed by unrest during a mass uprising that toppled the government. &quot;Regular vaccine drives have been ongoing, only the special campaign drive which was scheduled for June 2024 had to be postponed due to political unrest,&quot; Rashid told AFP, saying the next campaign will begin in June. The WHO estimates as many as 95,000 measles deaths globally every year, mostly among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under the age of five, according to its latest statistics. There is no specific treatment for measles once caught.

Reports indicate measles outbreaks in several districts across the country, with significant spread in at least seven districts. In the current month alone, 21 children have died from measles. The number of patients admitted with measles at the Infectious

Bangladesh orders urgent review after measles outbreak surpasses 600 cases, raising concerns over delayed vaccination campaigns, rapid spread among children, and need for coordinated national response to contain infections

Articles tagged with "measles outbreak"

Measles outbreak kills more than 500 children in Bangladesh

Bangladesh measles outbreak kills 311 children since March

Bangladesh PM orders probe into measles outbreak

Measles outbreak kills more than 500 children in Bangladesh