Bangladesh’s measles outbreak continues to escalate, with five more children dying from measles and measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours leading up to Thursday morning.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the latest fatalities have pushed the overall death toll to 666 since the outbreak intensified in March.
93 case have been laboratory-confirmed measles deaths, while 573 children died after exhibiting measles-like symptoms. The DGHS also reported an additional 139 cases were confirmed through laboratory testing, taking the total number of confirmed infections to 10,773.
Since mid-March, Bangladesh has reported nearly 90,000 suspected measles cases making it one of the country’s most severe outbreaks in decades.
Public health experts have attributed the worsening crisis to gaps in routine immunisation and disruptions to vaccination campaigns in recent years.
