Measles death toll crosses 500 as 13 more children die in 24 hours

Measles has claimed 13 more children in the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide death toll linked to measles and related symptoms to 512, according to the latest data released by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The health authority said on Saturday (May 23) that among the latest fatalities, one child died from laboratory-confirmed measles while 12 others died after showing measles-like symptoms.

During the same period, 2,132 new child infections were recorded, underscoring the rapid spread of the disease across the country.

Official figures show that since March 15, a total of 86 children have died from confirmed measles infections, while another 426 deaths were reported among children exhibiting related symptoms.

The outbreak has so far infected 8,494 children through laboratory-confirmed cases, while 62,560 children with suspected measles symptoms have sought treatment at hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide.

Dhaka division remains the worst-hit region, accounting for the highest number of infections and deaths. Authorities reported 214 child deaths and 35,513 infections in the division alone.

The latest statistics cover the period between 8:00am on March 15 and 8:00am on May 23, amid growing concerns over the country’s public health response and hospital capacity as the outbreak continues to intensify.