One more child dies from measles in Mymensingh, parents worry

The deceased 8-month-old was admitted on Wednesday and died in the afternoon the same day

Another child with measles symptoms has died in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH).

The death sparked anxiety among parents.

The deceased 8-month-old was admitted with measles symptoms on Wednesday and died in the afternoon the same day, said Dr Jhantu Sarkar, senior store officer of the hospital.

The child was a resident of Maona in the Sreepur Upazila of Gazipur. With his death, the measles death toll at the hospital has increased to 46.

A statement sent from the hospital on Thursday morning said that a total of 1,852 children with measles symptoms have been admitted to MMCH from Mar 17 to Thursday morning. Of these, 1,713 children have recovered and returned home.

At least 25 children were admitted to the hospital with measles symptoms in the 24 hours commencing on Wednesday morning. During this period, 36 children have recovered and returned home. As many as 93 children are admitted to the measles isolation ward.

Meanwhile, children with measles symptoms are dying almost every day in the hospital. Shock and tension have gripped other parents whose children are still undergoing treatment.

Hamida Akhter, a relative of a 12-month-old child admitted to the measles isolation ward, said: “I feel very helpless hearing the cries following the deaths every day. I am very worried about the boy. I don’t know what is going to happen.”

She lamented the lack of an ICU at the hospital, saying: “If the ICU crisis here were resolved, I think the number of deaths would have been reduced. So many mothers would not have lost their children.”

Focal person of the measles isolation ward Associate Professor Md Golam Mawla, said: “The children who died were infected with other diseases in addition to measles. That is why their immunity was reduced leading to their death. The ICU was very necessary at this time. Then maybe so many children would not have died.”