Measles-like symptoms claims 6 more lives; death toll reaches 860

Six more children died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8am on Thursday, pushing the combined number of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths in Bangladesh to 860 this year.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), all six of the latest fatalities were classified as suspected measles deaths.

With the latest update, the number of suspected measles deaths has risen to 764, while the number of laboratory-confirmed measles deaths remained unchanged at 96.

The DGHS also reported 733 new suspected measles cases during the reporting period, taking the nationwide total of suspected infections to 133,638.

Meanwhile, 85 new laboratory-confirmed measles cases were recorded, raising the cumulative number of confirmed infections to 16,740.

Since March 15, a total of 115,879 patients with suspected measles have been admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 111,587 have recovered, according to DGHS data.