Measles claims life of seven more children in 24 hours,  death toll climbs to 620

The nationwide measles outbreak continues to raise alarm, with seven more children dying from measles and measles-related complications in the past 24 hours, pushing the total death toll to 620, according to the latest data released by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

In its regular measles situation report published on Sunday (June 7), the health authority said that 1,287 new cases of measles and measles-like symptoms were recorded across the country during the reporting period.

Of the seven latest deaths, four occurred in the Dhaka division, while one child each died in the Chattogram, Mymensingh and Khulna divisions.

According to DGHS data, between March 15 and June 7, a total of 529 children died after developing measles-like symptoms, while another 91 children died after laboratory confirmation of measles infection. Combined, the outbreak has claimed the lives of 620 children nationwide during the period.

The report also revealed that 66 new measles infections were confirmed over the past 24 hours. In addition, 1,221 more individuals developed symptoms associated with the disease.

Since March 15, health authorities have recorded symptoms consistent with measles in 79,012 people across the country, while laboratory tests have confirmed 9,686 infections.

Hospital admissions linked to the outbreak have also continued to rise. According to the DGHS, a total of 64,263 patients suffering from measles or measles-related symptoms have been admitted to hospitals nationwide since mid-March.

Of them, 60,084 patients have recovered and been discharged, while thousands remain under treatment or observation.

Public health experts have repeatedly urged parents to ensure timely vaccination of children and to seek immediate medical attention if symptoms such as fever, rash, cough, runny nose or red eyes appear.

Health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely as efforts are underway to strengthen immunisation coverage and contain the spread of the disease across the country.