Published : 09 Nov 2026, 01:04 PM
Updated : 09 Nov 2026, 01:04 PM
A couple in Chattogram have been gutted after the loss of both their young sons to co-infections of dengue and measles within a span of just three days.
Noor Mohammad Arafat, 10, died on Friday morning, followed shortly after, at 1am on Monday by his 10-month-old brother Mohammad Abu Bakkar.
The tragedies have devastated their parents, private firm employee Mohammad Kabir and his wife Amena Begum, residents of the city’s Panchlaish Hillview Residential Area.
Prof Didarul Alam, head of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Chattogram Maa-O-Shishu Medical College, told bdnews24.com that both boys contracted dengue and measles simultaneously, which later triggered severe pneumonia and secondary brain infections.
"We made every possible effort, including convening a dedicated medical board," he said. "Given the family's financial situation, the hospital provided monetary assistance as well.
“We did everything we could. For one family to lose both children in this manner is deeply tragic."
Arafat, a year-three pupil at Hillview Public School in Panchlaish, fell ill approximately three weeks ago with fever, vomiting, and a cough.
He was initially admitted to the private Southern Hospital before being moved two days later to Imperial Hospital, another private facility.
He was placed in intensive care as his condition deteriorated there.
Days later, he was transferred to the PICU at Chattogram Maa-O-Shishu Hospital.
While Arafat remained in critical care, his infant brother Abu Bakkar also became sick and was admitted to the same hospital.
Arafat died on Friday morning and the infant's condition worsened on Saturday, prompting an emergency move into the PICU, where he died early on Monday.
The catastrophic medical costs exhausted the family’s modest savings and pushed them heavily into debt.
Kabir, speaking through tears on Monday afternoon on his way to the graveyard, said: "After losing my oldest son, I tried desperately to save my younger child.
“I failed. I have nothing left now, brother. What do I live for?"
