Measles: Bangladesh reports seven deaths in a day, highest daily count in July

Death toll reaches 95 since Mar 15 with 671 more deaths with symptoms

Bangladesh has recorded its highest single-day measles death toll of July, with seven deaths reported over the past 24 hours.

The latest Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) bulletin, released on Tuesday, said six people died with suspected measles, while one measles death was confirmed in the 24 hours to 8am Tuesday.

The health directorate said it had also identified 122 new confirmed measles cases during the same period.

The health authority has been publishing measles data regularly since Mar 15.

With the latest figures, the number of confirmed measles deaths this year has risen to 95, while 671 people have died with suspected measles symptoms nationwide.

Among the suspected measles deaths, Dhaka Division has recorded the highest toll at 291, followed by Sylhet with 93, Rajshahi with 89, Mymensingh with 63, Chattogram with 54, Barishal with 43, Khulna with 29, and Rangpur with 9.

The DGHS also reported that 868 people with suspected measles symptoms sought treatment at hospitals across the country over the past 24 hours.

Of them, 831 patients were admitted.

Division-wise hospital admissions included 319 in Dhaka, 195 in Chattogram, 128 in Barishal, 54 in Sylhet, 53 in Mymensingh, 47 in Khulna, 24 in Rajshahi, and 11 in Rangpur.

The total number of measles-related hospital admissions this year has now reached 96,027. Of those patients, 92,383 have been discharged after treatment.

According to the DGHS, the cumulative number of suspected measles cases has climbed to 113,244, while the number of laboratory-confirmed cases stands at 13,735.

The health authorities continue to monitor the outbreak as hospitals across the country receive hundreds of suspected measles patients each day.