Bangladesh’s worsening measles outbreak claimed the lives of 12 further children within the last 24 hours, including six deaths reported from the Dhaka division, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
In its rearmost situation report released on Thursday, the DGHS stated that one of the departed children had tested positive for measles, while the remaining 11 displayed measles-affiliated symptoms.
The deaths were reported across multiple divisions, including Dhaka, Barishal, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, and Sylhet, stressing the wide nature of the outbreak.
Health authorities also reported that 1,238 fresh children developed measles-like symptoms during the same period, indicating the continued rapid-fire spread of the complaint across the country.
Since March 15, Bangladesh has recorded 57 laboratory-verified measles deaths and 279 deaths involving measles-like symptoms, according to sanctioned data.
The outbreak has affected the knockouts of thousands of children nationwide. Authorities estimate that more than 45,000 children have developed symptoms so far, with over 31,000 requiring hospitalization.
The situation has been further exacerbated by a civil deficit of measles testing accoutrements, oppressively dismembering individual services and delaying evidence of suspected cases.
Officers from the Institute of Public Health said laboratories are floundering to manage with the growing caseload, with thousands of samples still awaiting testing. Current laboratory capacity allows only a limited number of tests to be reused each day.
The deficit has raised enterprises’ concerns regarding Bangladesh’s public health preparedness and outbreak response capabilities, especially following earlier warnings issued by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) over declining immunization content and vaccine force dislocations.
UNICEF had preliminarily noted that changes in Bangladesh’s vaccine procurement process during the interim administration contributed to detainments in vaccine inventories and weakened routine immunization programs, creating impunity gaps among children.
Health experts advise that unless vaccination content improves fleetly and testing capacity is strengthened, the outbreak could continue to escalate in the coming weeks.
