While families across Bangladesh celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with festivity and togetherness, the atmosphere is starkly different in the children's wards of hospitals, where many young patients are spending the holiday battling measles instead of enjoying the occasion.

For these children and their families, Eid has brought anxiety rather than celebration. New clothes remain unworn, family gatherings have been missed, and parents have traded festive preparations for long hours beside hospital beds.

The ongoing measles outbreak has continued to fill paediatric wards across the country, with new patients being admitted every day.

As hospitals remain under pressure, doctors and healthcare workers have also found themselves working through the holiday period to care for the growing number of infected children.

Amid the festive mood outside, families inside hospital wards share a common wish – the speedy recovery of their children.

Four-month-old Mostakim from Pirpur in Narsingdi is among those spending Eid in hospital. He has been undergoing treatment at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute for the past six days. 

His condition worsened on Saturday when he developed severe breathing difficulties. Due to a shortage of ICU beds, he remained in the ward for several hours before being transferred in the afternoon to the DNCC Dedicated Covid Hospital, which is currently providing treatment to measles patients.

His family hopes the transfer will improve his chances of recovery.

Nearly one-year-old Rifat has been admitted to the same hospital for the past 13 days. The child, from Dhaka’s Kalabagan area, has remained under treatment throughout the Eid period.

His mother, who works from home, has put aside all professional responsibilities to stay by his side in hospital. Like many parents in the ward, she is spending the holiday caring for her sick child rather than celebrating with relatives and friends.

Beds remain occupied, anxious parents fill the corridors, and healthcare workers remain on duty despite the holiday.

For many families this Eid, the usual sounds of celebration have been replaced by the beeping of medical equipment and the quiet hope that their children will soon return home healthy.

Meanwhile, eight more children died from measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00 am on Saturday, taking the total death toll to 583 since March 15.

With these deaths, the total number of suspected measles-related deaths has reached 493, while the number of confirmed deaths from 

measles remains unchanged at 90, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

According to DGHS data, a total of 1,033 suspected measles cases were

recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the overall number of suspected cases to 69,612.

During the same period, 53 new confirmed measles cases were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 8,996.

Since March 15, a total of 55,705 suspected measles patients have been hospitalized, of whom 52,050 have recovered.