Dhaka, May 4 At least 10 more people died from measles and measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh, raising the total number of confirmed and suspected deaths from the disease to 294, amid a worsening health crisis across the country, local media reported.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the deaths were reported in the 24 hours leading up to Sunday morning.
The DGHS stated that the number of confirmed measles deaths reached 50 on Sunday, following one additional fatality reported from the Dhaka division, Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported.
Meanwhile, nine additional "suspected" measles deaths were reported during the same period, taking the total number to 244.
Among those fatalities, four were reported from the Dhaka division, two from Barishal, and one each from the Chattogram, Khulna, and Sylhet divisions.
Additionally, 95 new confirmed cases were recorded during the same period, increasing the total to 5,313.
Also, 1,166 new suspected cases were recorded by DGHS in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall suspected cases to 40,491.
As the measles outbreak intensifies health concerns across Bangladesh, children with measles-like symptoms in several remote hill settlements in Alikadam upazila of Bandarban district are being treated with local remedies and herbal medicine due to lack of access to healthcare.
As many as five children have died with measles-like symptoms, with many others having been infected across 10 to 15 remote hill villages in the area over the past few days.
Locals said access to proper treatment remains largely limited, prompting families to turn to herbal remedies, including extracts from wild vines, and other traditional practices to treat their sick children, The Daily Star reported.
According to 'Science Adviser', this measles epidemic stems from a "catastrophic breakdown" in vaccine procurement following the July 2024 protests, leading to nationwide vaccine shortages and a sharp decline in immunisation rates.
The rising death toll from the measles outbreak has been exacerbated by high child malnutrition and a weak health system, with experts highlighting how quickly progress in public health can unravel.
Following the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after widespread protests in 2024, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which took charge subsequently, disrupted the entire vaccine coverage system during its 18-month tenure.
The report stated that in September 2025, the interim government ended vaccine procurement through UNICEF and shifted to an open tender system -- "a procurement process in which the government invites suppliers to bid and evaluates proposals before placing orders".
Emphasising the need for urgent action, Mohammad Mushtuq Husain, an advisor at Dhaka-based Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said that the government of Bangladesh should formally declare a public health emergency to reflect the severity of the crisis.
"This is already an emergency, so why hesitate to officially declare a public health emergency?" he asked.
--IANS
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor