Four more people died of suspected measles in Bangladesh in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning, taking the total number of suspected measles deaths since 15 March to 1,036.
Two people with laboratory-confirmed measles also died during the period, while 1,280 new suspected cases were identified and 110 infections were confirmed.
The figures were released in a 7 October health bulletin by the Integrated Control Centre of the Directorate General of Health Services, covering the period from 8am on 6 October to 8:00am on 7 October.
According to the report, a total of 200,293 suspected measles cases have been identified across the country since 15 March. Of them, 22,020 have been confirmed as measles.
During the same period, 177,676 suspected measles patients were admitted to hospitals and 170,473 were discharged.
In the latest 24-hour period, 1,160 patients were admitted to hospitals while 1,183 were discharged.
Of the four deaths among suspected measles patients during the period, two were reported in Dhaka and one each in Sylhet and Chattogram. Both deaths among confirmed measles patients were reported in Dhaka.
According to the DGHS, 1,036 people with suspected measles have died since 15 March. Of those deaths, 104 were confirmed to have been caused by measles.
Dhaka recorded the highest number of new suspected cases in the latest 24-hour period, with 474. Chattogram reported 237, Sylhet 146, Barishal 139, Khulna 128, Mymensingh 82, Rangpur 41 and Rajshahi 33.
Dhaka also recorded the highest number of confirmed measles cases at 58, followed by Chattogram with 36, Sylhet with six and Khulna with four.
Under this year’s national measles-rubella vaccination programme, 20,473,803 people have been vaccinated against a target of 18,015,064.
The vaccination rate has therefore reached 113.6 per cent.
