United News of Bangladesh

Health Minister  Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain on Sunday said not only measles vaccination campaigns but also Vitamin A capsule distribution campaigns for children were not conducted during the tenure of the interim government. He made the remarks while speaking at a seminar titled “Public Awareness and Prevention are the Best Scientific Measures for Controlling Measles and Dengue,” organised by the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the Jaitya Press Club in the capital. “Vitamin A campaigns are supposed to be conducted twice a year. One campaign was held during the first half of last year, but after that no Vitamin A campaign took place and now there is a severe shortage of Vitamin A capsules,” the minister said. He said the government currently has only a limited stock of Vitamin A capsules which are being distributed in small quantities. “We have already made the payment and UNICEF is expected to supply the Vitamin A capsules by June 10. I spoke to them four days ago and requested them to provide the measles vaccine as quickly as possible,” he said. Bangladesh is expected to receive more than 10 million Vitamin A capsules within the next five to seven days, he said. “Once the supply arrives, we will begin full-scale distribution among children, Inshallah,” he added. The Health Minister also stressed the importance of maternal nutrition and breastfeeding, urging doctors to create greater public awareness on the issue. “After a baby is born, if the child does not receive proper nutrition from the mother, various diseases may mutate and reappear in new forms,” he said, warning that emerging health threats could continue to affect the population if preventive measures are not taken seriously. Referring to his visits to hospitals treating measles-infected children, the minister said malnutrition was one of the key reasons behind the worsening condition of infected children. “I have visited several hospitals and observed that many measles patients are suffering from pneumonia due to nutritional deficiencies,” he said. He noted that maternal immunity through breastfeeding generally protects infants between six and nine months of age, but questioned why many children in that age group are now contracting measles. “From my discussions and experience, I believe the main reason is lack of nutrition,” he added. Calling for greater public awareness to protect children from measles, the minister urged doctors and the media to work together in spreading awareness about isolation, nutrition and preventive care. “If coordinated campaigns are carried out, people will become more aware. Mothers will provide protein-rich food to children and isolation practices will improve. We will then be able to protect ourselves from this outbreak,” he said. The minister also highlighted Bangladesh’s dependence on foreign countries for vaccines. “If foreign countries do not supply vaccines, we cannot provide them ourselves. We still do not have the capacity to manufacture vaccines for our nation,” he said. However, he expressed optimism about establishing a vaccine production unit in Munshiganj. The minister also emphasised that there is no alternative to cleanliness and public awareness in preventing dengue and controlling mosquito breeding. The seminar was chaired by acting DAB President Dr. Md. Abul Kenan.  

Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam Moni on Sunday said the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh has played a unique role in raising public awareness about heart disease across the country. “No other institution has been able to reach the masses on heart disease awareness the way the Heart Foundation has done,” he said while addressing a seminar organised marking World Hypertension Day. The seminar was held under the theme “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”, focusing on the prevention and control of high blood pressure, often described as a silent killer. Speaking as the chief guest, the Chief Whip said cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. “A healthy person may suddenly suffer a heart attack while walking. The heart is one of the most important organs of the human body, and it functions under the will of Almighty Allah, beyond human control,” he said. Moni stressed the importance of maintaining heart health through awareness and healthy lifestyle practices. “From birth until death, the heart works continuously without rest. Therefore, we must remain conscious about keeping it healthy,” he added. Recalling the early days of the Heart Foundation, the Chief Whip said he had a long-standing connection with the institution. “When this hospital first began its journey, there were no buildings here. Medical services were provided while sitting on grass-covered grounds,” he said. Emphasising preventive healthcare, Moni urged people to adopt healthier eating habits and do regular exercise. “It is very important to be selective about food. People should reduce their intake of oil and salt. At the same time, everyone should engage in some form of regular physical exercise. A healthy lifestyle can play a significant role in preventing heart disease,” he said. The Chief Whip also expressed concern over the excessive use of pesticides, chemical fertilisers and hybrid food products, warning that these were posing serious threats to public health. Referring to child health, he said alarming cases of severe kidney complications are now being detected among children aged between 10 and 15 years. Moni also criticised food adulteration and the widespread use of harmful chemicals in fish, poultry and vegetables. “Some dishonest traders are knowingly producing low-quality and harmful food products which even they would not feed to their own children,” he said. High blood pressure is considered one of the major risk factors behind heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Every year, World Hypertension Day is observed on 17 May at the initiative of the World Hypertension League and the International Society of Hypertension to promote awareness, prevention, treatment and control of hypertension among the public and healthcare professionals. The National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh has undertaken various programmes to mark the day. The seminar was chaired by Prof Khandaker Abdul Awal (Rizvi), while Professor Sohel Reza Choudhury presented the keynote paper.

Twelve more children died from measles and similar symptoms in the country in 24 hours till 8:00am on Friday, taking the total death toll to 451. Of the new deaths, four were confirmed as measles-related, while the remaining eight were classified as suspected, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Among the suspected deaths, the highest three were reported in Dhaka division. With this, the total number of confirmed deaths from measles has risen to 74, while suspected deaths have reached 377, it said. According to DGHS data, a total of 1,192 suspected measles cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the overall suspected cases to 55,611. During the same period, 111 new confirmed measles cases were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 7,416. Since March 15, a total of 40,176 suspected measles patients were hospitalised, of whom 36,055 have recovered.

The Islami Bank Central Laboratory has organised a seminar on “Treatment, Prevention, and Awareness of Measles.” Prof Dr M Masud Rahman, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Islami Bank Foundation and Director of Islami Bank Bangladesh PLC, graced the event held on Tuesday at its Nayapaltan office in the capital as the chief guest. Members of Islami Bank Foundation and Director of the Islami Bank Md Abdus Salam and Md SM Abdul Hamid were present as special guests. Retired Islami Bankers' concern over ‘Bank Resolution Ordinance’ The seminar was presided over by Dr AAM Kamar Uddin Mozakkir, acting Director of the Islami Bank Central Laboratory. Kabir Uddin, AGM of Islami Bank Foundation (IBF), and the Superintendents from Islami Bank Central Hospitals in Kakrail, Nayapaltan, Motijheel, Mirpur, and Mugda, as well as the Islami Bank Hospital and Cardiac Centre, Mirpur, were present. Pediatrician Prof Dr Ahmed Mortuza Chowdhury presented the keynote paper at the seminar. During his presentation, he provided a detailed discussion on the symptoms, treatment, complications, and prevention of measles. He particularly emphasised the critical importance of regular vaccination for children to mitigate the risks associated with the disease.

Eight more children died from measles and similar symptoms in the country in 24 hours till 8:00am on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 432. Of the new deaths, one was confirmed as measles-related, while the remaining seven were classified as suspected, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the suspected deaths, highest three were recorded in Sylhet division. With this, the total number of confirmed deaths from measles has risen to 69 and suspected deaths to 363, it said. According to DGHS data, a total of 1,489 suspected measles cases were recorded in the 24 hours. The total number of suspected cases has reached 53,056 during the period. During this period, 126 new confirmed measles cases were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 7,150. Since March 15, a total of 38,054 suspected measles patients have been hospitalised of whom 33,832 have recovered.

Health experts on Wednesday urged the government to ensure sustainable financing and increase budgetary allocation in the upcoming FY2026-27 national budget to strengthen hypertension prevention and treatment services nationwide. The call came at a discussion titled “Prioritising Hypertension Control: Bangladesh Perspective,” organised by research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator at the BMA Bhaban in Dhaka on Tuesday, marking World Hypertension Day 2026. This year’s global theme is “Controlling Hypertension Together.” Speakers at the event said non-communicable diseases (NCDs) currently account for 71 percent of all deaths in Bangladesh, with hypertension being a major contributing factor. According to the World Health Organization’s 2025 report, around 283,800 people died from cardiovascular diseases in Bangladesh in 2024, and 52 percent of those deaths were linked to hypertension. They noted that although the government has initiated the distribution of free anti-hypertensive medicines at the grassroots level, inadequate financing continues to hamper uninterrupted medicine supply at Community Clinics and Upazila Health Complexes across the country. Dr. Md. Enamul Haque, Director General (Additional Secretary) of the Health Economics Unit, stressed the need for both increased allocation and effective utilisation of the budget for hypertension control. Md. Khorshed Alam, NDC, Managing Director (Additional Secretary) of the Community Clinic Health Support Trust, said the government is working to ensure uninterrupted supply of hypertension medicines at grassroots health facilities. Public health expert Dr. Lelin Choudhury said ensuring free medicine supply at the community level would significantly reduce hypertension-related diseases and deaths. Professor Dr. Malay Kanti Mridha of BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health emphasised the importance of research-based prevention and treatment strategies to effectively control hypertension. Professor Dr. Shafiun Nahin Shimul, Director of the Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka, said sustainable financing for hypertension control should be viewed as a long-term investment. Among others, Dr. Geeta Rani Devi of the Directorate General of Health Services, Shamsun Naher Nahid of BIRDEM General Hospital, and ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA, also spoke at the event.    

Nine children died from measles and symptoms consistent with the highly contagious yet preventable disease in the country in the 24 hours till 8:00am on Tuesday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the new deaths, three were confirmed as measles-related, while the remaining six were classified as suspected. With this, the total number of confirmed deaths from measles has risen to 68 and suspected deaths to 356 since March 15. Six children die with measles-like symptoms in 24 hours According to DGHS data, a total of 1,105 suspected measles cases were recorded in the 24 hours, bringing the total number of such cases to 51,567. During this period, 87 new confirmed measles cases were reported, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 7,024. Since March 15, a total of 36,881 suspected measles patients have been hospitalised of whom 32,877 have recovered.

A clinical trial led by Bangladeshi researcher Forhad Chowdhury at the University of Oxford has found that procalcitonin-based testing could help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in Bangladesh, offering a potential tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR has become a growing global concern due to the widespread misuse and overuse of antibiotics, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to advanced microbiology labs remains limited. Global leaders converge at Oxford to champion sustainable economic futures Drawing on his experience as a clinician in Bangladesh, Chowdhury observed that antibiotics are often over-prescribed and widely available over the counter, contributing to rising resistance. Microbiological tests are crucial to help clinicians determine the most appropriate course and length of antibiotic treatment, according to the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research (IOI). They allow clinicians to rapidly detect the presence of bacteria in blood and urine samples from patients. However, high-quality microbiology labs are not always accessible in low-and-middle income countries like Bangladesh. Instead, clinicians rely on standardised national guidelines. These recommend predefined durations for using specific antibiotics, which don't vary patient-to-patient and can lead to patients taking the drug for longer than strictly necessary. Two clinicians are working to take a blood sample from a patient at the Chittagong Medical College in Bangladesh, as part of a trial run by Oxford DPhil student Forhad Chowdhury. “By prolonging the use of antibiotics in patients without biological indication or validation, patients and clinicians were overusing antibiotics, which increases the spread of AMR. The necessary microbiological tests to guide these treatments can often be unavailable to clinicians in resource-limited settings, so in my research I wanted to show that there are viable alternatives,” said Chowdhury. For his DPhil, he studied other, non-microbiological forms of testing, which can inform the de-escalation of antibiotic treatments without involving the lab. He chose to use a compound called procalcitonin, which becomes more prevalent in the body when there is a bacterial infection, and decreases after treatment with antibiotics.  “High levels of the biomarker procalcitonin in blood samples indicate an infection, and when antibiotic treatments cause levels to drop below a pre-determined safe target amount, a patient no longer needs antibiotics. Procalcitonin-based diagnostics can provide a more affordable, accessible way of testing for infections than sending samples to labs, ultimately reducing the burden of prolonged antibiotic use in hospitals in Bangladesh,” said Chowdhury. Starting in 2023, Forhad and a team of researchers ran the PROCALBAN clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of procalcitonin as a biomarker to guide antibiotic use. They recruited over 500 patients with either confirmed or suspected sepsis in the Chittagong Medical College in Bangladesh. Patients were split into two groups: one group where antibiotic treatment duration was guided by daily procalcitonin tests through, and another where treatment was guided solely by national guidelines.   Forhad and the team found that, on average, treatment duration could be shortened by around 3 days - enough of a reduction to significantly reduce antibiotic overuse in the region. The team also sent 120 bacterial isolates to the UK for whole genome sequencing, which will fuel further research into sepsis in low-and-middle income countries, and provide site-specific genetic data on the burden of AMR in Bangladesh.  After seeing the huge potential improvements their tests can create, Forhad’s goal now is to encourage even more widespread acceptance among clinicians in Bangladesh. To achieve this, Forhad was granted the IOI Knowledge Exchange Fund to travel back to Bangladesh, where he shared his findings with researchers, clincians, educators and trainees through an in-person dissemination meeting. This meeting gave Forhad a chance to communicate the impacts and benefits of procalcitonin tests on everyday hospital decision making, and gave staff the opportunity to ask practical questions about cost-effectiveness, availability and how the tests would fit into hospital workflow. After completing his DPhil, Forhad intends to continue researching ways to reduce the AMR burden in Bangladesh, creating a research team to investigate other novel techniques like the procalcitonin tests, and inspiring other researchers to do the same.

Six children died with measles-like symptoms across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00am Monday, pushing the number of suspected measles-related deaths to 350 since March 15, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, no new confirmed measles deaths were reported during the period, leaving the number of laboratory-confirmed fatalities unchanged at 65. With the latest figures, the combined nationwide death toll from confirmed measles and measles-like symptoms has climbed to 415. According to DGHS data, 1,341 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, taking the total number of suspected cases to 50,500. In addition, 118 new confirmed measles cases were recorded, bringing the total confirmed infections to 6,937. Since March 15, a total of 35,980 suspected measles patients have been hospitalised, of whom 31,992 have recovered, the DGHS added.

Another child has died at the isolation ward of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) with measles symptoms, officials said on Sunday. With the latest death, the total number of fatalities in the hospital’s measles isolation ward has risen to 28, said Associate Professor Dr. Mohd. Golam Maula, focal person of the ward. He said a seven-month-old girl from Muktagachha in Mymensingh was admitted on May 8 with measles symptoms and was receiving treatment. However, she died in the early hours of Monday due to post-measles pneumonia and respiratory failure. Dr. Golam Maula said 24 more children were admitted in the last 24 hours, while a total of 89 children are currently undergoing treatment there. He said a total of 1,244 children have been admitted with measles symptoms since March 17. Of them, 1,027 have been discharged and 28 have died. He added that 35 more children recovered and were discharged in the last 24 hours. The minimum age of patients admitted ranges from three months to 10 years, with most cases involving children aged between three months and one year. Mymensingh Medical College Hospital Assistant Director (Administration) Dr. Mohammad Mainuddin Khan said three medical teams have been formed to manage treatment in the measles isolation ward, and all patients are receiving proper care. He also said a children’s ICU has not yet been launched due to shortages of manpower and equipment, but Bubble CPAP (bCPAP) support is currently being used. During a visit to the area, UNB observed that many patients were receiving treatment on the floor and hospital balconies due to a shortage of beds. Meanwhile, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 11 more children died from measles and measles-like symptoms across the country in the 24 hours till 8:00 am Sunday, bringing the total deaths to 409 since March.