Over 1,000 children dead as Bangladesh struggles to contain measles surge

International

MILLIONS of children have been vaccinated, but Bangladesh’s measles outbreak continues to claim lives, with more than 1,000 children dead and roughly 1,000 new suspected cases reported each day.

Government figures show more than 194,000 cases have been recorded since the outbreak surged in March. Eight more people died with suspected measles on Tuesday alone.

More than 19.8 million children have received vaccines through an emergency campaign. Unicef told the BBC that the government will move the programme into an “intensified phase” on 26 September to reach children who remain unvaccinated.

The World Health Organisation said Bangladesh had made “substantial progress” towards eliminating measles before the latest outbreak. WHO data now shows the country has recorded more measles cases than any other country so far this year.

The highly contagious disease spreads through respiratory droplets released when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.

Unicef attributed the outbreak’s initial spread to several factors, including Bangladesh’s crowded population and disruptions to routine immunisation during the Covid pandemic, describing the combination as a “perform storm”.

The agency has also said the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus delayed vaccine orders last year while considering new suppliers, contributing to shortages. A former senior health ministry official disputed that account and denied there had been a vaccine shortage.

“We were worried about possible [vaccine] gaps increasing, and it’s unfolding into what we’re now seeing,” Miguel Mateos Muñoz, a Unicef spokesperson, had told the BBC in June.

Public health expert Dr Mushtuq Husain said the initial emergency vaccination campaign did not reach enough children and should have been expanded to more regions and age groups. He also said health workers needed to conduct door-to-door outreach to inform communities about the urgency of the outbreak and the need for vaccination.

The WHO described the vaccination campaign as successful while acknowledging that some of the children it targeted were not reached. The agency said the outbreak had already spread nationwide before vaccination efforts began, resulting in widespread chains of transmission that would take time to bring under control.

About 83% of confirmed cases have occurred among unvaccinated children, while 10% involve infants under six months, whom the WHO considers particularly vulnerable during outbreaks. Malnutrition can further increase the risk of severe complications and death.

Hospitals have also come under severe strain as the outbreak has spread. In June, families were seen lying on hospital floors, while one facility reported operating at more than twice its capacity.

The health minister acknowledged the pressure on the healthcare system at the time but said the government had “met the challenge already” as case numbers declined. Since then, another 300 children have died.(MyTVCebu)