As Bangladesh faces a worsening measles outbreak, another child succumbed to the disease on Tuesday, bringing the total confirmed and suspected deaths to 657 since March 15 this year. The latest fatality was reported by the Directorate General of Health Services in the past 24 hours. While the number of confirmed deaths remains at 93, the total suspected deaths have risen to 564.
Reports indicate a total of 1,006 suspected measles cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall suspected cases to 87,929. Additionally, 136 new confirmed cases were reported during the same period, increasing the total to 10,523. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticized the previous interim government for disrupting the vaccination program, leading to the disease becoming an epidemic under the current administration’s alleged incompetence.
UNICEF had warned the earlier government about vaccine shortages that could trigger a health crisis, emphasizing the need for vaccine orders. Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative to Bangladesh, highlighted the repeated warnings and efforts made to address the issue, stressing the importance of timely action to prevent outbreaks.
