Four more children died of measles symptoms at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll since 17 March this year to 58.
At the same time, 16 new patients were admitted, triggering pressure on the measles isolation ward, where 96 children are currently under treatment. The hospital’s Senior Store Officer Jhantu Sarkar confirmed the information Saturday morning.
Hospital sources said among the four deceased, a four‑month‑old girl from Haluaghat, Mymensingh, admitted on 18 June, died Friday noon. Her death certificate mentioned measles symptoms along with pneumonia and heart disease.
The other three children, aged between four and eight months, were from Phulpur, Komlakanda in Netrokona, and Madanpur in Sunamganj. They died between Friday afternoon and night.
According to hospital data, from 17 March 17 to Saturday morning, a total of 2,378 children with measles symptoms were admitted, of whom 2,226 recovered and returned home.
Patients began being admitted with measles symptoms in February, but the situation worsened rapidly from mid‑March. To cope, three medical teams are working in a 64‑bed isolation ward. Still, the sequence of child deaths has not stopped.
Monowar Khatun, mother of a child admitted in the ward, said, “In the last seven days, I have seen nine children die before my eyes. Every day one or two children are dying. I am in extreme fear for my own child.”
She complained that the crisis is worsening due to the lack of adequate intensive care unit (ICU) facilities for children. She also said that unless ICU and other emergency facilities are expanded urgently, the situation could become even more dire.
