Bangladesh measles-linked death toll climbs to 854 with 5 new deaths

Bangladesh has reported five more suspected measles fatalities over the past 24-hour count, three of whom died in the Dhaka Division. 

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Wednesday said 124 more patients were diagnosed with the infection during this period. 

The health directorate has been publishing measles data since Mar 15.

The death toll from confirmed cases nationwide remained unchanged at 96, while 758 people have now died with symptoms consistent with the disease.

Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of measles-symptom deaths at 330, followed by Sylhet with 115. 

Rajshahi Division logged 91 deaths, Chattogram 61, Barishal 45, Mymensingh 71, Khulna 32 and Rangpur 13.

The DGHS says 959 more people with measles symptoms were brought to hospitals across the country in the past 24 hours, of whom 841 were admitted.

Of those admitted, Dhaka Division accounted for 278, Rajshahi 31, Sylhet 119, Chattogram 194, Barishal 114, Mymensingh 37, Khulna 60, and Rangpur eight.

This takes the total number of measles patients admitted to hospitals nationwide to 115,234, of whom 111,005 have been discharged after recovery.

The number of suspected measles cases in the country now stands at 132,905, with the number of confirmed cases at 16,655.