Seven more child deaths push Bangladesh's measles-linked toll past 600

Health authorities report 55 new confirmed infections in the past 24 hours

The death toll from confirmed and suspected measles cases in Bangladesh has climbed past 600 after seven more children died over the past 24 hours.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) disclosed the figures in its regular measles bulletin on Wednesday, revealing that the total number of fatalities has now hit 601.

Out of the overall deaths recorded since Mar 15, 90 children died from confirmed measles infections while 511 others passed away after exhibiting symptoms of the highly contagious disease.

Dhaka has logged the highest number of symptomatic deaths at 210, followed by Rajshahi Division with 85 fatalities.

According to the DGHS, 55 fresh measles cases were confirmed over the 24-hour period.

During the same period, 1,210 people with measles symptoms sought treatment at hospitals across the country, including 1,055 who were admitted.

Hospitals in the capital handled the heaviest influx, admitting 384 symptomatic patients, while Rangpur recorded the lowest count with 18 admissions.

With the latest tallies, the total number of suspected measles cases across the country has risen to 74,572, while the number of confirmed infections stands at 9,191.