94 deaths in 19 days: govt

 The government yesterday reported 94 suspected measles deaths, mostly among children, over the past 19 days, alongside 5,792 suspected cases nationwide, suggesting the outbreak is far more severe than earlier thought.

Only nine deaths have so far been confirmed as caused by measles, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in its report as the highly infectious disease has seen a sharp rise this year, particularly since March.

The rise in measles cases has raised serious public health concerns, prompting the government to announce emergency vaccination drives in high-burden areas from tomorrow.

As most of the deaths reported by hospitals were among unvaccinated children, health officials and experts attribute the surge largely to immunisation gaps, citing long intervals between special campaigns, repeated disruptions to routine vaccination, and supply constraints.

Measles, a highly infectious disease, often leads to complications such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, ear infections, and encephalitis. It also weakens immunity, putting children and those with comorbidities at higher risk.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 56 of the country’s 64 districts had reported measles cases as of March 28, indicating widespread transmission. Officials fear the number may now be higher, as cases may have emerged in eight additional districts since that report.

The DGHS began publishing measles data on its website on Thursday. Its initial report recorded 3,709 suspected cases between March 15 and 8:00am Thursday, including 585 confirmed infections. It also mentioned 27 deaths, of which 13 were confirmed.

Yesterday, the DGHS revised its data and reported the suspected deaths and cases between March 15 and 8:00am.

It included three deaths and 947 suspected cases in the previous 24 hours. The number of confirmed deaths was revised down to nine from 13. Officials said five deaths were excluded due to incorrect reporting from district-level offices, while one more previously unreported death was added.

An official from the DGHS Management Information System (MIS) said most of the dead were children.

Hospital data show that of the 5,792 suspected cases, 3,776 patients have been admitted since March 15, and 2,527 have already been discharged.

Division-wise, Dhaka recorded the highest number of suspected cases (2,394), followed by Rajshahi (1,243) and Chattogram (717), while Rangpur reported the lowest (119).

The government had not formally disclosed such high death figures earlier. Around a dozen health officials contacted by this correspondent also did not indicate numbers this high. Most newspapers had reported deaths between 50 and 65, with this newspaper reporting 50 on Thursday.

WHY SO SEVERE

Data from the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) showed crude vaccination coverage under its regular campaign declined over the past two years.

Special campaigns are held every four years to cover those missed, with the last campaign held in 2020.

But the planned 2024 campaign could not be conducted due to the situation surrounding the political changeover, said Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the EPI.

Routine vaccinations were also disrupted at least three times last year due to strikes by health assistants in rural areas.

A funding crisis following the suspension of the Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Programme (HPNSP) further affected services.

Since 1998, four HPNSPs have been implemented, with the last ending in June 2024. The interim government scrapped the proposed fifth programme in March 2025, opting to integrate sectoral programmes into regular ones.

Several projects were later approved to continue unfinished tasks and ensure supply of medicines and vaccines, but approvals were delayed, some until November last year.

In August last year, Tk 842 crore was allocated to buy vaccines. However, procurement complications arose after the interim government decided to source half through Unicef’s direct procurement method and the rest via tender.

“We still couldn’t buy vaccines due to these complications,” a DGHS official said last week, adding that the shortage led to rationing since January.

Stocks of six vaccines, including measles, were exhausted at headquarters, with shortages also reported at field level, according to the official.

The then health adviser Nurjahan Begum could not be reached for comment over phone.

EPI’s Shahriar Sajjad said although the central stock of routine measles vaccines was exhausted, two crore doses were received from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for a special campaign planned for mid-April. However, the campaign is likely to be delayed until June or July due to shortages of syringes and other logistics.

The emergency vaccination drive starting tomorrow will proceed after syringes “had been managed”, he added.

Prof Halimur Rashid, DGHS director (disease control), said the emergency campaign will initially run for two weeks in high-burden areas, with possible extension. A meeting is scheduled for tonight to finalise details before a formal announcement.

5 MORE DEATHS

Reports from districts indicate the outbreak’s human toll is continuing to rise.

In Cox’s Bazar, two children died within hours on Thursday at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, raising the number of deaths linked to measles-like symptoms in the district to four. The deceased included seven-month-old Roushoni from Ramu and nine-month-old Jesin from Moheshkhali.

Acting Civil Surgeon Mahiuddin Alamgir said 92 samples had been sent for testing, with 30 returned positive so far.

In Tangail, a 13-month-old child died yesterday at Tangail General Hospital, while another child died in the district on Thursday.

In Rajshahi, a patient with measles-like symptoms died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, taking the death toll there to six since March 29. The hospital did not disclose the identity of the deceased.

In the 24 hours till noon yesterday, 12 new suspected patients were admitted to the hospital and 13 were discharged, said spokesperson Shankar K Biswas.

In Mymensingh, one suspected measles patient died at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital in the 24 hours ending early yesterday, bringing the total deaths there to six.