873 People Died Related to Measles in Bangladesh, WHO Says Vaccination Declines

Illustration of vaccination. Bangladesh has vaccinated more than 18.48 million children since April 5 amid a measles outbreak that has killed hundreds of people. Illustration photo: Pexels.

JAKARTA - Bangladesh recorded six child deaths due to measles-like symptoms in the last 24 hours. The addition brings the number of deaths related to measles in the country to 873 people.

Anadolu Agency, quoted on Sunday, August 9, reported that 98 of the total deaths occurred since mid-March this year, according to data from the Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh or DGHS.

In the same period, health authorities recorded 988 new suspected measles cases and 75 infections that had been confirmed through laboratory tests.

With the addition, the total number of suspected measles cases reached 136,320. Meanwhile, the number of cases that have been confirmed by the laboratory reached 17,115.

Bangladesh, a country in South Asia with a population of around 175 million people, is still struggling to control the outbreak, which was first recognized in April.

The World Health Organization or WHO has named Bangladesh as the country most affected by measles.

WHO also stated that Bangladesh had previously achieved herd immunity against the disease. However, this protection has been lost in recent years due to declining vaccination coverage.

Herd immunity occurs when enough people have protection against a disease so that it becomes more difficult to spread.

The Ministry of Health of Bangladesh has vaccinated more than 18.48 million children since April 5.