Parents who waited 11 years for first child lose their 8-month-old son to measles

Farzana Islam and Helal Bhuiya waited 11 years after marriage to welcome their first child, Fayez Hasan Tajim. The baby died of measles on April 22. He was 8 months and 18 days old.

The couple conceived their child through IVF, an expensive and high-risk procedure. Farzana had been fighting for Tajim since March, when he first suffered from pneumonia and diarrhoea, followed by measles. She took her son to hospitals in Chandpur, Dhaka and Narayanganj.

In a message, Farzana shared a picture of her son, writing, "This was the last smiling picture of my baby." She said she spent over Tk 4 lakh on measles treatment alone, on top of pneumonia treatment.

Tajim was first admitted to Pro-Active Medical College and Hospital in Narayanganj on March 18. The family returned home on March 25, but four days later, Tajim began running a fever again. The family resumed running from hospital to hospital from April 5.

Tajim died at Pro-Active Medical College and Hospital's PICU while undergoing treatment. The couple has been left devastated after losing their only child. The discharge document containing the cause of death was left behind in the ambulance.