Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh Has Claimed the Lives of 500 Children

According to SAEDNEWS, citing BBC, while the exact number has not been confirmed, it is estimated that suspected cases have exceeded 60,000 within just over two months. The Health Minister said that holiday leave for doctors and nurses treating patients infected with the virus has been canceled, as hospitals in the South Asian country struggle to save lives and slow the spread of the disease.

UNICEF described the situation observed in hospitals as overwhelming and distressing. The organization stated that its staff, according to multiple reports, are assisting hospitals in isolating and quarantining children when necessary.

People from areas that cannot access local health clinics are traveling to cities for treatment.

Mushfiq Hussain, senior scientific director at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, said: “Poor people usually do not come to government hospitals until the last moment because they cannot afford medicine and tests. If better healthcare resources were available locally, fewer people would require emergency hospitalization.”

UNICEF identified several factors that increased the risk of infection.

According to Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, these factors include lack of routine childhood vaccinations since 2023, high population density in certain areas, and large-scale travel during holidays.

Bangladesh launched an emergency vaccination campaign in April, which UNICEF says has helped reduce the curve in heavily affected areas. These regions were prioritized in the first phase of the campaign.

According to UNICEF, although it will take time to see the full impact of vaccination across the country, it has already helped reduce the number of new infections.