At least 16 more children died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the 24 hours ending Sunday morning, taking the death toll since March 15 to 528, according to local media reports.
With the latest deaths, Bangladesh recorded the second-highest single-day death toll for the second consecutive day, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.
On Saturday, the country had reported 13 deaths linked to measles and similar symptoms.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), all 16 new deaths were classified as suspected measles-related fatalities.
The latest figures have pushed the total number of suspected measles-related deaths to 442, while confirmed deaths stand at 86.
Bangladesh also reported 1,306 new suspected measles cases in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of suspected cases to 63,813, according to DGHS. During the same period, 128 new confirmed cases were recorded, taking the total confirmed infections to 8,622.
Since March 15, around 50,558 suspected measles patients have been admitted to hospitals, out of which 46,214 have recovered, UNB reported.
On May 20, UNICEF stated that it had repeatedly warned Bangladesh’s former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus about vaccine shortages that could trigger a major health crisis.
Speaking at a press briefing in Dhaka, UNICEF representative to Bangladesh Rana Flowers said the UN agency had sent five to six letters to health authorities and raised the issue in around 10 meetings during the interim government’s tenure, The Daily Star reported.
“Since 2024, we had warned the government that vaccine shortages could lead to an outbreak. Between 2024 and 2026, we sent letters and held several meetings highlighting the issue and urging vaccine orders, but those orders were not placed,” she said.
Flowers also mentioned that UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban had raised concerns about vaccine shortages during a meeting with Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry during his visit to the country in August last year.
She added that UNICEF would provide evidence to support the investigation launched by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government into the measles outbreak.
With Inputs From IANS