United News of Bangladesh

Eight more children have died from measles and measles-like symptoms in 24 hours until 8:00am on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths to 628. Of the new deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS confirmed one death as measles-related while seven others as suspected. With the latest figure, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 536 while the confirmed deaths remained unchanged at 92. A total of 1,092 suspected measles cases were recorded in 24 hours, taking the overall cases to 80,104. During the same period, 93 new confirmed measles cases were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 9,779. Since March 15, a total of 65,237 suspected measles patients were hospitalised, of whom 61, 278 have recovered, according to the DGHS. The government with support from UNICEF, WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, on April 5 launched an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign to protect more than 1.2 million children aged 6 months to 5 years across 30 upazilas in 18 high-risk districts. Besides, a nationwide emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign was launched on April 20 aimed at addressing the ongoing outbreak, aiming to vaccinate around 1.8 crore children aged 6 months to under 5 years across the country. On May 11, Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain said the measles situation is expected to come under control within four weeks as vaccinated people will develop immunity during this period.

A 4-year-old child who sustained severe burn injuries in a gas cylinder explosion at Badda in Dhaka died at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery on Sunday. Dr Shawon Bin Rahman, resident surgeon at the institute, said Tanzila,4, who sustained 66% burns, died at 3 pm today. BNP activist killed in factional clash in Jashore, six held Besides, Tofazzal Hossain, 45, Munsura Begum, 35, and their two other children Mithila, 7 and Tanisha, 11 are undergoing treatment at the institute. Tofazzal and four of his family members suffered burn wounds in a fire originated from accumulated gas of a gas cylinder in the kitchen of their house at Badda on Saturday.

Around 18% of children – 24,300 – in Bangladesh die from pneumonia every year before turning five. But sensitivity around this disease is still low.

A child who was kept in quarantine at Sadar Hospital, died early Monday.

Another child has died from measles in Baghaichhari upazila, taking the death toll to seven in the past 24 days.