Two more infants have died with measles-like symptoms in Cox’s Bazar, raising the death toll to 13 this year, health officials said.
The deaths occurred on Sunday morning and night at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, where the children were undergoing treatment. The victims were identified as eight-month-old Atiqur Rahman, son of Mizanur Rahman, and six-month-old Wajifa, daughter of Javed, both from Ramu upazila.
Hospital sources said an increasing number of children with measles-like symptoms are being admitted daily to the district hospital and other health facilities. While the illness initially presents with common symptoms such as fever, cough, and runny nose, many cases rapidly turn severe.
To manage the surge, a dedicated isolation unit for measles patients has been set up at Sadar Hospital. However, a shortage of doctors and limited resources have strained healthcare services, leaving medical staff struggling to cope with the rising patient load.
Dr Shantanu Ghosh, Residential Medical Officer at the hospital, said 79 children suspected of having measles were admitted in the past 24 hours alone. “Two of them died while under treatment. Wajifa died at 8:00 am on May 3. Atiqur Rahman died at 9:20 pm the same day,” he said.
According to the Civil Surgeon’s Office, a total of 1,452 children were infected with measles in the district between January 1 and May 3. Of these, 1,399 cases were reported between March 29 and May 3, indicating a sharp recent surge.