Bangladesh measles death toll rises to 601 as outbreak worsens

New Delhi (Raghwendra Pratap Singh) : Bangladesh’s measles outbreak continues to worsen, with the death toll from confirmed and suspected measles cases rising to 601 after seven more children died in the 24 hours ending 8 AM yesterday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The latest fatalities were classified as suspected measles deaths, taking the total number of suspected deaths to 511, while confirmed measles deaths remained at 90.

The DGHS said 1,210 new suspected measles cases were recorded during the same period, while laboratory tests confirmed 55 new infections. Since the outbreak intensified in mid-March, Bangladesh has reported 74,572 suspected cases and 9,191 laboratory-confirmed infections.

Health authorities said more than 60,000 suspected patients have been hospitalised since March 15, with 55,942 recovering and being discharged after treatment. Public health expert Dr M. Mushtuq Husain warned that relying primarily on hospital and intensive care treatment would not significantly reduce fatalities. He stressed the need for early isolation of patients, timely oxygen support and improved nutritional care.

He also expressed concern that infection rates have not shown a sustained decline despite two months of vaccination efforts, calling for targeted door-to-door vaccination campaigns to reach children who missed immunisation. The outbreak has become one of Bangladesh’s worst public health crises in recent years, with health experts continuing to warn that gaps in vaccination coverage and delayed immunisation efforts have contributed to the rapid spread of the disease.