At least two more patients died of measles in the past 24 hours until Thursday, taking the number of confirmed deaths to 49 since March 15 this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
During the same period, 227 more people died with measles-like symptoms, while 84 new confirmed cases and 1,151 infections with measles-like symptoms were reported, the DGHS said in its daily bulletin on Tuesday.
Since mid-March, a total of 37,131 suspected measles cases have been recorded, including 5,028 confirmed infections.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, however, said the government has sufficient capacity to deal with measles and dengue, assuring that there is no shortage of vaccines or human resources. He made the remarks at a ceremony held at the 250 Bedded TB Hospital in the capital on Thursday, where the US embassy in Dhaka donated tuberculosis (TB) testing kits and drugs to the health ministry.
The United States donated 600,000 US-manufactured GeneXpert TB testing kits and 11,000 courses of paediatric TB drugs to Bangladesh.
The health minister said that despite budget allocations, proper spending had not been ensured in the health sector over the past 17 years, resulting in some artificial crises.
He expressed hope that the measles situation would be brought under control soon, as a nationwide vaccination drive is underway.
"In the next few weeks, 100 per cent of children aged six months to 59 months will be vaccinated. It takes some time for antibodies to develop in the body," he said.
At the event, US Ambassador Brent T Christensen said the United States is working to restore supply systems in Bangladesh's health sector and strengthen governance.
He also highlighted plans to improve TB detection, including the introduction of artificial intelligence-powered digital X-rays, next-generation gene sequencing technology and child-friendly diagnostic systems.
The ambassador assured continued US support to help build a healthy and resilient Bangladesh.
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