Suspected and confirmed measles deaths top 500 in Bangladesh
Yahoo • • health
Key Points:
- Bangladesh is experiencing one of its worst measles outbreaks in decades, with at least 86 children confirmed dead and 426 showing symptoms consistent with the disease this year.
- Between March 15 and May 23, health authorities reported 62,507 suspected measles cases and 8,494 laboratory-confirmed infections nationwide, heavily impacting rural and low-income urban areas.
- Children under five, especially those unvaccinated or partially immunized, are most vulnerable to severe infection and death.
- The World Health Organization linked the outbreak to declining routine immunization coverage, prompting the government to expand emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaigns and deploy rapid response teams.
- Additional measures include strengthened disease surveillance and increased vitamin A distribution to reduce complications from measles.