DHAKA: Bangladesh&#39;s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered an urgent nationwide review following a <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/halal-concerns-drive-vaccine-hesitancy-as-indonesia-fights-measles-outbreak" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">measles outbreak</a> with more than 600 cases, officials said Monday. PM Rahman has directed two senior ministers to travel across the South Asian nation of 170 million people to assess the scale of the crisis and coordinate response efforts, according to a statement from his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Ministry of Health senior official Halimur Rashid, head of the disease control unit, said there have been 674 measles cases across the country this year. Measles is one of the world&#39;s most contagious diseases, according to the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/middle-east-war-at-perilous-stage-with-strikes-around-nuclear-sites-who" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Health Organization</a>, and spreads through coughs or sneezes. Complications can include brain swelling and severe breathing problems. While it can affect anyone, it is most common in children. Bangladesh has made significant advancements in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-vaccinates-over-44m-children-in-first-polio-campaign-of-2026" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">vaccinations</a> to tackle infectious disease, but a measles drive that had been due in June 2024 was delayed by unrest during a mass uprising that toppled the government. &quot;Regular vaccine drives have been ongoing, only the special campaign drive which was scheduled for June 2024 had to be postponed due to political unrest,&quot; Rashid told AFP, saying the next campaign will begin in June. The WHO estimates as many as 95,000 measles deaths globally every year, mostly among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under the age of five, according to its latest statistics. There is no specific treatment for measles once caught.

Reports indicate measles outbreaks in several districts across the country, with significant spread in at least seven districts. In the current month alone, 21 children have died from measles. The number of patients admitted with measles at the Infectious

Bangladesh

Bangladesh orders urgent review after measles outbreak surpasses 600 cases, raising concerns over delayed vaccination campaigns, rapid spread among children, and need for coordinated national response to contain infections

Articles tagged with "measles outbreak"

Bangladesh PM orders probe into measles outbreak

Bangladesh PM orders probe into measles outbreak