Rajeev Sharma :- Bangladesh’s worsening measles outbreak has claimed three more lives, pushing the combined number of confirmed and suspected deaths to 631 since March 15, according to official health data released on Tuesday.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported that the latest fatalities were recorded during the previous 24 hours, with all three cases currently classified as suspected measles-related deaths. Health authorities said the outbreak continues to spread across the country despite extensive vaccination efforts.
Official figures show that confirmed deaths remain at 92, while suspected fatalities have risen to 539. During the same reporting period, authorities registered 980 new suspected measles cases, taking the overall tally to 81,084. Additionally, 54 fresh laboratory-confirmed infections were reported, raising the confirmed case count to 9,833.
The continuing surge has sparked concern among public health experts, particularly as the government maintains that vaccination coverage among targeted children has exceeded 100 per cent. Experts argue that high vaccination numbers alone do not guarantee community protection unless adequate immunity is achieved across the population.
Hospitals nationwide continue to admit more than 1,000 children daily with measles or measles-like symptoms, even more than a month after the completion of an emergency immunisation campaign. The persistent rise in infections and fatalities has intensified scrutiny of the country’s vaccination programme and disease-control measures.
Former disease control official Benazir Ahmed said the outbreak should have shown signs of significant decline if vaccination coverage had effectively reached the reported levels. He also cautioned that official targets may not accurately reflect the actual number of eligible children, leaving gaps in immunisation coverage.
The growing health crisis has also triggered political debate, with opposition leaders accusing successive administrations of failing to contain the outbreak and adequately protect children from preventable diseases.
