Bangladesh Measles Outbreak Kills Nearly 1,000 Children
Reporting based primarily on taipeitimes.com.
Measles Deaths Approach 1,000 in Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s deadliest measles outbreak in decades is nearing the grim milestone of 1,000 child deaths, as a devastating epidemic sweeps through the country and crowded hospital wards fill with struggling babies. [3] At least 986 children have died since March, while suspected and confirmed cases have surged past 180,000, Bangladeshi Ministry of Health and Family Welfare figures showed. [2] More than 1,000 suspected cases are reported daily. [2] Most cases during the outbreak have been children aged between six months and five years. [2] Measles is highly contagious, spreading through coughs and sneezes, and has no specific treatment once caught. [2] Complications can include brain swelling and severe breathing problems. [2] Although anyone can catch the disease, young children are particularly vulnerable. [2]
Overcrowded Hospitals and Malnourished Patients
Cries of sick children and the hiss of oxygen machines fill the air at Dhaka’s Shishu Hospital, where Rima Akter keeps a vigil beside her nine-month-old son. [2] “Just an hour ago, a child died, and they wheeled him out in front of us,” Akter said on Thursday. [2] “We saw two children die today.” [2] Her son is one of scores filling the hospital’s measles wards. [2] The hospital has 101 children admitted with suspected or confirmed measles. [2] “I’ve been running to and from multiple hospitals since July to get my son the proper treatment,” Sanjana Islam Modina said, cradling her six-month-old son Ayan, who has an oxygen tube fixed to his nose. [2] He was first admitted to hospital with pneumonia in July, then contracted measles before finally securing a bed at the capital’s specialized children’s hospital last month. [2] “His lungs were already very weak from the pneumonia, then with measles his breathing was affected more,” Modina said. [2] “He’s been on oxygen constantly for the last five days.” [2] Doctors said many of the children arriving at the hospital are already critically ill, with malnutrition further weakening their ability to fight the virus. [2] “The doctors gave my son a special milk specifically designed for malnourished children,” Modina said. [2] Many of the children who arrive at the hospital are already critically ill and malnourished, which further weakens their ability to fight the virus, doctors said. [2]
Vaccination Delays and Government Response
The outbreak has exposed gaps in Bangladesh’s efforts to protect its youngest. [2] Bangladesh had made major advances in vaccination against infectious diseases, but a measles drive planned for 2024 was delayed by the uprising that toppled former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina. [2] Workers’ strikes and political instability delayed a 2025 campaign. [2] SM Ziauddin Hyder, special assistant to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for health, called the outbreak “devastating.” [2] The country has since rolled out a mass vaccination drive to combat the outbreak, but the number of cases continues to climb. [2]
What to watch next: The mass vaccination drive continues while daily case reports remain above 1,000 and the death toll edges closer to the 1,000 mark.
