The measles outbreak in Sylhet division has continued unabated for three months, with 88 people, including 87 children and a 22-year-old nurse, dying from the disease and related complications. Health officials and physicians treating patients say the situation remains critical, with no visible signs of improvement.
According to the health authorities, the first measles-related death in Sylhet was reported on April 6, when a child died from the disease. By Monday, July 6, the death toll had risen to 88 across the division. The latest fatality was also a child. Currently, 263 patients with suspected measles are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Sylhet.
Shaheed Dr. Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital has been converted into a dedicated measles treatment facility. In addition, two wards at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, the only tertiary care hospital in the division, are providing treatment for measles patients. The two hospitals have a combined capacity of 36 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) beds, including 14 at Shamsuddin Hospital and 22 at Osmani Hospital.
Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Resident Medical Officer at Shaheed Dr. Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, said there has been no improvement in the outbreak situation. New patients are being admitted every day, keeping the hospital under constant pressure. By 4pm on Monday, 80 patients had already been admitted, and all beds were expected to be occupied by night. Thirteen of the hospital’s 14 PICU beds were filled.
The hospital treated 103 measles patients on Saturday and 93 on Sunday. Adult patients are also receiving treatment, with 17 admitted by Monday afternoon. Only one adult patient has died so far, while most adult patients have recovered and returned home.
Dr. Rahman said most of the children who died were aged between two months and 12 years. Many of them had not received measles vaccines on schedule, while malnutrition was also a major factor contributing to severe illness and deaths.
Brigadier General Dr Munir Omar Rashed, Director of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, said authorities took immediate steps to increase PICU facilities after the outbreak was detected. Besides operating a dedicated measles hospital at Shamsuddin Hospital, two wards at Osmani Hospital have been allocated for infected children. He said both hospitals are currently operating at full capacity due to the increasing number of measles patients.
Meanwhile, four new laboratory-confirmed measles cases were detected in Sylhet Division in the 24 hours ending at 6:00am on Monday. During the same period, 59 more patients with measles symptoms were admitted to hospitals.
Health office data show that 263 suspected measles patients are currently receiving treatment across the division. Of the 88 deaths reported, four were laboratory-confirmed measles cases, while the remaining deaths involved patients who showed symptoms consistent with measles.
Sunamganj recorded the highest number of deaths with 38, followed by Sylhet with 31, Moulvibazar with 11 and Habiganj with eight.
So far, 422 laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been identified in Sylhet Division. Sunamganj accounts for the highest number with 234 cases, followed by Sylhet with 131, Habiganj with 41 and Moulvibazar with 16.
Among the 263 suspected measles patients currently hospitalized, 110 are being treated at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital and 89 at Shaheed Dr. Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital. The remaining patients are admitted at Ragib-Rabeya Medical Hospital, Mount Adora Hospital, North East Medical College Hospital, Parkview Medical College Hospital, Sylhet Lions Hospital, and district hospitals in Sunamganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar.
