Six more children die as measles toll reaches 415

At least six more children died from measles and measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Monday, raising the total death toll to 415 since mid-March this year, according to health authorities.
Of the total fatalities, 65 were confirmed measles cases, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in its latest bulletin.
Three of the latest deaths were reported in Dhaka. Of the total confirmed and suspected deaths, 182 occurred in the capital alone.
During the same period, the country recorded 1,341 more suspected cases and 118 confirmed infections. Since mid-March, the total number of suspected infections has risen to 50,500, while confirmed cases reached 6,937, according to the DGHS.
A total of 35,980 patients have so far been admitted to hospitals, with 31,992 recovering and returning home.
In response to the rapidly spreading outbreak, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign in the first week of April, targeting children aged between six months and five years regardless of previous vaccination status.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are supporting the campaign, which aims to vaccinate 18 million children by May 20, including more than 180,000 children in Cox's Bazar.
According to the DGHS, over 17.99 million children have already received vaccines. WHO said Bangladesh had made substantial progress towards measles elimination before the current outbreak. However, a nationwide vaccine stockout during 2024-25 increased the number of susceptible children and contributed to the resurgence of the disease.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease affecting people of all ages and remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally.
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