Measles Outbreak Claims Over 500 Children's Lives in Bangladesh

Dhaka. More than 500 children have died due to the measles epidemic spread in Bangladesh. This has become the deadliest outbreak in decades. The death toll continued to rise on Saturday. The health department said that 13 children lost their lives in the last 24 hours alone. According to the data started from March 15, the total number of deaths has reached 512.

Hospitals in the capital Dhaka are now overcrowded with patients. Although special wards have been established there, there are not enough intensive care unit (ICU) beds available. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads through coughing and sneezing. Once infected, there is no specific treatment for it.

This disease is mainly seen in children and can cause serious complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and death, especially in malnourished or unvaccinated children.

Measles is considered one of the main causes of child mortality worldwide that can be prevented by vaccination.

Bangladesh, a South Asian nation with a population of 175 million, has launched a widespread vaccination campaign to control the epidemic. Rana Flowers, UNICEF's Bangladesh chief, said this week that 18 million children have been reached through this campaign. However, the health department said it would take a few more months for the full impact of the vaccination campaign to be seen.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, UNICEF mentioned that the vaccination program was affected due to the student-led movement of 2024 and the subsequent chaos. That movement had overthrown the government, and a large number of children were deprived of vaccination thereafter.

Although the health department claims that the epidemic is under control, stating that the number of infections has decreased in some highly affected areas, the death toll is still rising.

Most of the infected children seen in the current epidemic are in the age group of six months to five years.

According to doctors, most of the children who reached the hospital were in serious condition.

Ainul Islam Khan, a pediatrician at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, told AFP, 'Although measles is highly contagious, a healthy child without any complications can recover with simple medication. But most of the children who came here had respiratory problems, and infections in the eyes, throat, and lungs.'

UNICEF has emphasized the need to make vaccination programs more effective in the future, increase investment in health institutions, and strengthen surveillance and data systems.

A policy report by the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership published on Thursday warned that the decline in vaccination could further increase antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh.

From Al Jazeera