United News of Bangladesh

Two more children undergoing treatment with measles-like symptoms have died in Faridpur, raising the death toll linked to the outbreak at Faridpur Medical College Hospital to 20, officials said on Tuesday at 8:00 am. Hospital sources said seven-month-old Ayan, son of Barkat from Chandipardi area of Muksudpur upazila in Gopalganj, was admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital on June 1 with symptoms consistent with measles. He later died while receiving treatment. In a separate incident, Adiba, the two-year-old daughter of Rafsan from Lakshipur area of Faridpur Sadar upazila, also died after being admitted to the hospital with similar symptoms. According to the Faridpur Civil Surgeon’s Office, 54 new patients were admitted to hospitals across the district in the past 24 hours. Currently, 190 patients are receiving treatment at government health facilities. Faridpur Civil Surgeon Dr. Mahmudul Hasan said the number of infections has increased somewhat as many people have returned to their village homes from different parts of the country during the Eid holidays. “However, we are hopeful that the situation will improve within the next one to one-and-a-half weeks and the number of patients will begin to decline,” he said. Urging parents to remain vigilant, he advised them to seek immediate medical attention if children develop symptoms of measles and ensure hospitalization when necessary. Dr. Hasan said health authorities have intensified awareness campaigns alongside vaccination efforts to contain the spread of the disease. He stressed the importance of ensuring that children receive the measles-rubella vaccine on schedule.