A heartbreaking moment took place in the premise of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute as ten-month-old Suhah died on Friday morning after a long and painful battle with measles.
Her family described a desperate journey through multiple hospitals for treatment and a struggle to access timely vaccination.
The child, from Khoajpur union in Madaripur, was brought to Dhaka with measles-like symptoms. Her condition worsened as the family struggled to find a hospital with available beds.
When her health deteriorated further, relatives rushed her to Dhaka Shishu Hospital, only to find it overwhelmed with patients and unable to admit her.
She was then referred to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali.
“While we were going through the transfer process, suddenly blood started coming from her mouth,” her paternal uncle Rashed said.
She was later taken back to Dhaka Shishu Hospital after a bed became available, but despite the efforts, doctors pronounced her dead at around 7am on Friday.
Her case reflects a wider pattern seen during the current measles outbreak, as hospitals face mounting pressure and gaps in vaccination coverage emerge.
Hospitals across the country are under increasing pressure, with a shortage of intensive care facilities adding to the strain.
Doctors warn that delays in vaccination and limited treatment capacity are worsening the impact of the outbreak, raising concerns of a wider public health crisis.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported on Friday that four children died in the past 24 hours with suspected measles symptoms.
According to the latest data, a total of 167 have died from measles-related causes between 15 March and 10 April 2026.
Of them, 144 were classified as suspected cases, while 23 were confirmed through laboratory testing.
ICU crisis deepens as cases surge
The growing measles outbreak is putting unprecedented pressure on paediatric intensive care units, with hospitals struggling to cope with the rising number of critically ill children.
Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, a specialised facility for children, has allocated 60 beds for measles patients, including a 44-bed ward and a 16-bed intensive care unit.
All beds are currently occupied.
Doctors say the demand for ICU support has become a daily emergency.
A duty doctor at the hospital said admissions continue to outpace discharges.
“If we release 10 patients, another 15 arrive the same day,” the doctor said.
The government began a vaccination campaign on 5 April in 30 upazilas, with plans to expand it to four city corporations from 12 April and nationwide from 20 April.
Health experts say the impact of the campaign will take time to be felt.
Public health expert Mohammad Mushtuq Husain said vaccines and vitamin supplements work differently.
“Vaccines take time to build protection, usually showing effects after 10 to 12 days, while vitamins support general immunity but do not provide the same protection,” he said.
The Health Emergency Operations Centre and Control Room of the DGHS says 1,177 new suspected measles cases have been reported across the country in the past 24 hours.
This brings the total number of suspected cases to 13,497 since 15 March.
Four deaths with suspected measles symptoms were also reported during the same period.
Division-wise data shows Dhaka recorded the highest number of suspected cases at 462, followed by Sylhet with 230.
So far, 8,910 suspected patients have been admitted to hospitals, while 6,609 have recovered and returned home.
Laboratory testing confirmed 168 new measles infections in the past 24 hours.
The total number of confirmed cases has reached 2,409 between 15 March and 10 April.
The recent outbreak has been linked to a sharp decline in measles vaccination coverage in 2025, which fell to 56.2 per cent, leaving 43.8 per cent of children unvaccinated – the lowest level in nearly a decade.
