Five children die from measles, around 100 others infected in remote Rangamati villages

As many as five children have died from measles in remote villages of Baghaichhari Upazila in the hills district of Rangamati.

Around 100 other children have been infected by the disease in three villages in Shialdaha under Sajek union, Rangamati Civil Surgeon Bipash Khisa told bdnews24.com on Thursday.

The deaths in Arunpara, Newthangpara and Haichpara occurred in the past week, Bipash said.

“The children suffer from pneumonia as well. We’ve sent an emergency medical team there. Another special team will go there by helicopter with the help of BGB [Border Guard Bangladesh] on Friday,” the civil surgeon said.

Sajek Union Council Chairman Nelson Chakma Nayan said he had informed the authorities when he had come to know about the outbreak. “But it was late as the area is very remote,” he said.

The Directorate General of Health Services had acted immediately on getting information about the outbreak, Baghaichhari Upazila Executive Officer Ahsan Habib Jitu said.  

“But the villages are very far away and there is no alternative to walking to reach them,” he said.

In Bandarban on Monday, a joint team of the army, doctors and public representatives brought to the Lama Upazila Health Complex 31 children and two young adults suffering from measles after the death of another in Lailyapara village of the Mro tribe by using tractors.    

A similar measles outbreak among the Tripura villages in Chattogram’s Sitakunda claimed the lives of nine children in the span of four days in July, 2017.

None of the nearly 400 villagers had taken measles vaccines, officials had said at the time.

In Bangladesh, about 85 percent of children come under the coverage of measles vaccine, which is “good coverage” compared to many countries in the region, Dr Stephen Chacko, who had been working as the medical officer for immunisation and vaccine development at the World Health Organization, had said.

In 2016, tests confirmed 165 measles cases in Bangladesh. None died.

After the 2014 large-scale measles vaccination, the number of cases declined the next year.

The special measles vaccination campaign, which is carried out every four years, was conducted in Bangladesh in 2018.

This year, the campaign to vaccinate 34 million children aged between 9 months and 10 years for measles and rubella in Bangladesh had been scheduled to start on Wednesday. But it was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.