Suspected measles outbreak kills nearly 100 children in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has said that suspected measles has killed at least 98 children over the past three weeks, according to official data released on Sunday, as authorities step up vaccination efforts in the worst-affected areas, news agency AFP reported.

Last week, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed two senior ministers to travel across the country to assess the scale of the crisis and help coordinate a response.

Data from the health ministry showed that suspected measles cases among children aged between six months and five years have risen sharply to 6,476.

Compared with past years, the number of affected children is higher, and the death toll is higher too, Halimur Rashid, director at the Communicable Disease Control, told AFP, referring to the number of suspected cases.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, the highest number of suspected cases on record was in 2005 at 25,934, though the figures had declined significantly until this year.

Rashid attributed the possible outbreak to multifactorial causes, including a shortage of vaccines. The number of confirmed measles cases in this age group stands at 826, with 16 deaths reported.

Experts said that in many instances, testing is either not carried out or patients die before tests can be conducted.

WHO flags measles as highly contagious; delayed vaccination drive worsens Bangladesh outbreak Measles is one of the worlds most contagious diseases, according to the WHO, and spreads through coughing or sneezing.