DHAKA: An unprecedented measles outbreak is overwhelming Bangladeshi hospitals, doctors say, as they struggle to isolate and treat hundreds of children admitted every day with symptoms of the highly infectious disease.
Bangladesh is battling its deadliest measles outbreak in recent history, following a disruption in its regular mass vaccination drive that should have taken place in 2024-25 — a period marked by political turmoil after student-led protests that ousted the previous administration.
The numbers of reported infections and related deaths have been rising since March 15, with more than 32,300 suspected measles cases and at least 259 children have died — according to Directorate General of Health Services data released on Sunday.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, around 1,000 people have been hospitalized every day — half of them in Dhaka, where patients are referred from other regions, which lack specialized infectious diseases care.
At the Mohakhali Infectious Diseases Hospital, wards are operating beyond capacity.
“All bed capacities are exhausted, and we are compelled to accommodate patients in the corridors as well,” Dr. Ariful Bashar, the hospital’s senior consultant, told Arab News.
“It’s a 100-bed hospital dedicated to the treatment of other contagious diseases as well. But at the moment, considering the health emergency, most of our efforts are focused on dealing with measles patients, most of whom are children ... we currently can’t offer ICU treatment to patients with other infectious diseases.”
Measles is an airborne disease, which is especially dangerous for children under five years old. Proper isolation is one of the biggest logistical problems that hospitals are facing.
“It’s highly contagious — six times more than COVID-19,” Bashar said.
“Ensuring isolation for measles-infected patients has become a challenge ... We don’t have enough nurses to handle this emergency. As a result, we have to allow parents and guardians to stay in the hospital with their children, which increases transmission.”
At the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute in Dhaka, which specializes in pediatrics, doctors have been observing an increase in the numbers of children developing complications, which adds pressure on hospital admissions.
“As measles-infected patients lose immunity, they can become more vulnerable to other infections such as pneumonia and diarrhea. The situation becomes critical in such cases,” said Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mahbubul Huq, the hospital’s director.
“We have not seen such a measles outbreak in our country before ... Not only our hospital, but most hospitals are now experiencing a higher number of patients, sometimes beyond their capacity.”
A nation of 170 million people, it has been able to contain measles since 1990s with routine vaccination — usually two doses given in early childhood, with the first administered at the age of nine months.
But as even small gaps in coverage can lead to outbreaks, supplementary mass immunization to prevent resurgence and boost population immunity has been conducted every four to five years.
To contain the current crisis, following the missed mass campaign last year, the newly elected government started last week a nationwide immunization drive expected to reach 20 million children by the time of the Eid Al-Adha holiday in late May.
