Published: 12:26 AM, 16 May 2026
Measles scourge turns alarming
Death toll crosses 450
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) stages a rally at Purana Paltan in the capital on Thursday, demanding punishment for the people responsible of the deaths of children in measles infection. -Md Mostafijur Rahman
The measles outbreak has turned alarming in Bangladesh as the casualties due to the disease and symptoms like it has stood at 451 as of Friday (May 15, 2026).
According to the regular bulleting of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 12 more child deaths linked to measles symptoms were recorded over the past 24 hours.
Four of the latest fatalities are confirmed measles cases, while the remaining eight children passed away with symptoms of the disease, the bulletin said.
During the same period, 111 new cases were confirmed, while 1,192 children developed measles-like symptoms across the country.
Since March 15, confirmed measles cases have risen to 7,416, while suspected cases totaled 55,611 over the same period.
DGHS data showed that 40,176 patients with suspected measles were admitted to hospitals between March 15 and 8am Friday. Of them, 36,055 recovered and were discharged.
Specialist doctors are hopeful that the measles outbreak will subside within the next three to four weeks.
At a press conference organized by the Lung Foundation, an organization of chest disease specialists, and the Chest and Heart Association in the capital on Friday, they said, a major complication of measles is pneumonia, and pneumonia is a leading cause of death from measles.
They further said that children are being severely affected by both viral and bacterial types of pneumonia. To address this complication, country's chest disease specialists and pediatricians have submitted four proposals to the government regarding the necessary steps to be taken.
The proposals include continuing the measles vaccination campaign on a priority basis and establishing fever corners in district, upazila, and divisional health centers in remote areas of the country, ensuring the presence of necessary health workers.
