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Hundreds of children die within months as measles cases soar in Bangladesh
TL;DR
Measles cases have surged in Bangladesh, leading to the deaths of hundreds of children within months. Many affected families, like that of Al Amin, report that their children were vaccinated except for measles.
Key points
- Measles cases have surged in Bangladesh
- Hundreds of children have died within months
- Many children were vaccinated except for measles
- Families report a lack of vaccination coverage
Akira was always a fast learner, her father Al Amin says with pride.
At 6 months she was already saying her first words. At just over 4 years old, she had started to say some words in English.
He stops, his voice catching.
"She was never short of love from both families. She was the crown of all."
Al Amin, who lives with with his family in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, says his daughter had all her vaccines, apart from measles.
They took her four times to get it; twice she was turned away because she had a cold. "Don't stress," he says the health care worker told them, "the vaccine can be administered up until she reaches 5." The third and fourth time, he says, they were told the vaccine was unavailable.
On 8 March Al Amin took Akira to hospital, suffering with what he thought was a normal fever. She improved, went home, then started developing a rash, a high fever and sores in her mouth. She was discharged and readmitted to hospital a total of five times, Al Amin says; only on the fifth occasion did a doctor tell him she was suffering from measles.
Akira was put on life support. She died 27 days after she was first admitted.
Over 500 children with suspected and confirmed cases of measles have died in Bangladesh since March, according to the country's health ministry.
The health minister said last week that doctors and nurses treating those with the virus have had their Eid holiday leave cancelled and the government has been running a mass vaccination campaign to slow the spread and save lives.
Al Amin says he and his wife still torture themselves, thinking that their daughter may have picked up the virus in the hospital.
"From the ticket counter line to the x-ray room, there was a measles patient everywhere," he says.
He is angry; that his child couldn't get a vaccine, that her symptoms were missed, that he feels the hospitals failed to keep patients with measles apart from others.
In just over two months, the number of suspected cases of measles have reached over 60,000 in Bangladesh, according to the health ministry. The exact number has not been confirmed, as many are waiting for results from the laboratory.
Highly contagious, measles spreads quickly through coughs and sneezes and is particularly dangerous for unvaccinated young children under the age of 5.
There are multiple reports of parents struggling to find space for their sick children in Bangladesh's hospitals.
UNICEF told the BBC that during field visits the hospitals they went to were overwhelmed. They say that their staff are helping to isolate and triage children arriving at hospitals where such measures are lacking.
Where local health clinics can't help, many people are travelling to the cities, hoping the hospitals there will be able to.
"Poor people do not usually come to government hospitals until the last moment, as they have to buy medicine and tests," Dr Mushtaq Husain, former Principal Scientific Officer at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research says.
Q&A
What is causing the rise in measles cases in Bangladesh?
The rise in measles cases in Bangladesh is attributed to a lack of vaccination coverage among children.
How many children have died from measles in Bangladesh recently?
Hundreds of children have died from measles in Bangladesh within the past few months.
What vaccinations do children in Bangladesh typically receive?
Children in Bangladesh typically receive a range of vaccinations, but many are missing the measles vaccine.
What are the symptoms of measles in children?
Symptoms of measles in children include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a distinctive rash.
