Bangladesh is experiencing a severe measles epidemic that has resulted in nearly 1,000 child fatalities since March. Health ministry data indicates that suspected and confirmed cases have exceeded 180,000, with over 1,000 new suspected cases reported daily. Pediatric wards in Dhaka are overwhelmed with critically ill patients, many of whom suffer from complications like pneumonia and malnutrition. Public health officials attribute the scale of the outbreak to immunization gaps. Scheduled vaccination campaigns were postponed due to recent political unrest and labor strikes. Although the government has launched an emergency vaccination drive to target unvaccinated children, infection rates continue to rise. Epidemiologists recommend expanding the vaccination campaign and increasing public awareness regarding hygiene and isolation protocols to curb the spread of the highly contagious virus.
Source : The Straits Times
