“I admitted my six-year-old son, Md Shahid, to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital before Eid-ul-Fitr with pneumonia. At that time, he did not have any symptoms of measles. He was kept beside a measles patient in the hospital, and that is how he became infected.”
Sajia Akhter, who brought her son from Chapainawabganj to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) in March, made the allegation while describing her child’s treatment ordeal.
She said: “Although doctors instructed guardians to keep infected children separate, many did not follow the rules. My child became infected after coming into contact with other children in the hospital. His condition later deteriorated and he had to stay in the ICU for several days.”
According to her, many other children also became infected in the same way because hospital authorities initially treated all children together in overcrowded wards.
Measles spread from Rajshahi across the country
The first reports of measles infections and deaths emerged from RMCH in mid-March this year. Since then, the virus has spread to almost every district in the country, with the death toll already surpassing 500.
Health officials said the first major outbreak in Bangladesh was detected in Rajshahi division, although the virus had initially been identified in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar earlier this year.
The first measles case in the camps was detected on January 4. By the second week of March, health authorities confirmed widespread transmission in Rajshahi region, with 44 infections officially recorded by March 18.
The outbreak later spread to around 58 districts.
Hospitals became transmission hubs
Doctors and health experts say children admitted to hospitals for common illnesses later became infected after coming into contact with measles patients inside overcrowded wards.
Due to inadequate isolation facilities and patient numbers exceeding hospital capacity several times over, the highly contagious virus spread rapidly from one child to another.
After recovering or partially recovering, infected children returned to their home districts, unknowingly carrying the virus with them and triggering wider community transmission.
Measles spreads through airborne droplets released during coughing or sneezing and is considered one of the most contagious viral diseases.
Families describe overcrowded conditions
Rozina Khatun, who brought her daughter from Lalpur in Natore to RMCH on May 19, described the severe overcrowding inside the hospital.
“My daughter first developed fever and cold symptoms. Later, red rashes appeared on her body and doctors confirmed it was measles,” she said.
“When I arrived at the hospital, I saw many children admitted with the same problem. Doctors were struggling due to the huge patient pressure. The hardest part is staying overnight with a sick child in such conditions.”
A visit to RMCH found patient numbers nearly three times higher than available bed capacity.
Many patients were staying on floors and verandas, while three to four children were often sharing a single bed in the pediatric ward.
Guardians alleged the overcrowded environment accelerated transmission inside the hospital.
Sadiqul Islam, father of another child patient, said his son was admitted with pneumonia in early March but later contracted measles after contact with infected children.
“By the time authorities opened a separate measles ward, almost all children in the hospital had already been infected,” he said.
Health officials acknowledge challenges
Rajshahi Divisional Health Director Dr Habibur Rahman admitted that measles is highly contagious and said authorities had instructed hospitals to isolate infected patients from the beginning of the outbreak.
“Many people did not follow those instructions,” he said.
RMCH authorities unavailable for comment
Repeated attempts to contact RMCH spokesperson Dr Shankar K Biswas for comment were unsuccessful.
Hospital staff in Ward 30-B advised this correspondent to contact the spokesperson directly, but he did not respond to phone calls or messages.
On May 22, RMCH Director Brig Gen PKM Masud-ul Islam answered a phone call from this correspondent but disconnected after being asked how measles spread from Rajshahi to the rest of the country.
