Five more children die as measles outbreak continues

Health authorities confirm 129 new cases

Five more children have died in the past 24 hours with measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh.

None of the latest deaths have been diagnosed with measles, but all five showed symptoms of the disease, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

In its regular measles bulletin on Wednesday, the DGHS said 38 people have died from confirmed measles infections nationwide since Mar 15.

Moreover, 190 people have died with suspected measles symptoms during the same period.

Dhaka has recorded the highest number of suspected measles-related deaths at 88, followed by 66 in Rajshahi Division.

In the past 24 hours, 129 new measles infections were reported.

During the same period, 1,129 people visited hospitals with measles symptoms, of whom 913 were admitted.

Dhaka hospitals saw the highest number of admissions at 406, while Rangpur recorded the lowest at nine.

Since Mar 15, a total of 27,164 suspected measles cases have been reported, with 3,934 confirmed infections.

Meanwhile, a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting 18 million children began on Apr 20.

So far, 4.14 million children have been vaccinated across the country, including 837,137 in the 12 city corporation areas.