Specialist physicians at a press conference on Friday said that pneumonia had now emerged as a major complication of measles, appearing as one of the leading causes of death among measles patients.
Meanwhile, 12 more child deaths and 1,303 measles or symptomatic infections were reported in the past 24 hours until 8:00am Friday.
The Directorate General of Health Services, in its regular press release, said that among the latest cases, four deaths and 111 infections were confirmed as measles.
With the latest figures, the total number of deaths from measles and measles-related symptoms reached 451, while 63,030 children have been infected since March 15.
Among them, 74 deaths and 7,419 infections were confirmed as measles cases.
The Bangladesh Lung Foundation and the Chest and Heart Association of Bangladesh jointly organised a press conference at the Abu Sayeed Convention Centre in the capital’s Shahbagh area.
Specialists at the event said that many children were developing severe pneumonia after contracting measles, with both viral and bacterial pneumonia being reported.
To address the complications, chest disease specialists and paediatricians submitted four proposals to the government, recommending measures to tackle the outbreak.
The proposals included continuing the measles vaccination campaign on a priority basis and establishing fever corners at district, upazila and divisional health facilities, particularly in remote areas, ensuring the availability of necessary health workers.
The doctors also stressed the need for greater awareness campaign among parents.
They said that children should be taken to hospitals immediately after falling ill and warned against relying on faith healers or medicines from local pharmacies without proper medical consultation.
The physicians expressed hope that the measles outbreak would subside within the next three to four weeks as a large number of children across the country had already been vaccinated.
Child specialist Professor Abid Hossain Molla, paediatric pulmonologist and senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Lung Foundation Professor Ruhul Amin, vice-president of the Chest and Heart Association of Bangladesh Professor Anarul Anam Kibria, paediatrician Professor Nurul Amin, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Lung Foundation Kazi Saifuddin Bennoor, specialist physician Professor Asif Mostafa Mahmud and secretary general of the Chest and Heart Association of Bangladesh Dr Golam Sarwar Bidyut, among others, attended the press conference.
According to the UNICEF, most measles-related deaths occur from complications associated with the disease, including blindness, encephalitis—an infection that causes brain swelling and potential brain damage, severe diarrhoea and dehydration, ear infection or deafness, and severe respiratory complications like pneumonia.
Clinicians and academicians said that many of the recent deaths were linked to pneumonia developed after measles infection.
