Suspected measles outbreak kills nearly 100 children in Bangladesh

Health ministry information amusement children aged six months to 5 years with suspected measles symptoms soared to 6,476.

Bangladesh says it suspects measles has killed astatine slightest 98 children successful the past 3 weeks, authoritative information show, with the capital, Dhaka, ramping up vaccination efforts successful the worst affected areas.

Last week, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed 2 elder ministers to question crossed the South Asian federation of 170 cardinal radical to measure the standard of the situation to assistance coordinate a response.

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Data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released connected Sunday showed that the fig of children aged six months to 5 years aged with suspected measles symptoms soared to 6,476.

“Compared with past years, the fig of affected children is higher, and the decease toll is higher too,” Halimur Rashid, manager astatine Communicable Disease Control, told the AFP quality agency.

The largest fig of suspected cases connected grounds was successful 2005 astatine 25,934, according to World Health Organization (WHO) data. That fig had importantly declined successful succeeding years until this year.

Rashid attributed the imaginable outbreak to “multifactorial causes, including a shortage of vaccines”.

The confirmed fig of measles cases among children aged six months to 5 years stands astatine 826 with 16 deaths. Experts said successful galore cases, investigating is either not done oregon patients dice earlier investigating tin beryllium carried out.

Measles is 1 of the world’s astir contagious diseases, according to the WHO, and is transmitted erstwhile a idiosyncratic coughs oregon sneezes. While the illness tin impact a idiosyncratic of immoderate age, it is astir communal among children and tin origin complications, including encephalon swelling and terrible breathing problems.

The WHO estimated arsenic galore arsenic 95,000 measles deaths hap globally each year, mostly among unvaccinated oregon undervaccinated children nether the property of five, according to its latest statistics.

There is nary circumstantial attraction for measles erstwhile caught.

Bangladesh has made important advancements successful vaccinations to tackle infectious diseases, but a measles thrust owed successful June 2024 was delayed by a deadly uprising that aforesaid twelvemonth that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Most Bangladeshi children person a vaccine astatine 9 months though galore infected successful the caller outbreak had been six months old, officials said.

“We committed to reducing the fig to zero by December 2025 but failed to execute the people owed to mediocre vaccination programmes,” said Mahmudur Rahman, main of the National Verification Committee of Measles and Rubella.

Dhaka has identified 30 of the astir affected areas successful the portion and has started a vaccination programme. Health Minister Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul said the vaccination thrust volition screen the “worst affected areas” earlier being expanded to different regions.

Tajul Islam A Bari, a erstwhile authoritative astatine the Expanded Programme connected Immunisation and a nationalist wellness expert, told AFP that though funds had been allocated for vaccine purchases, authorities had failed to procure them.

“Now we spot the result. The concern is scary,” Bari said.