The measles situation in Sylhet Division has become increasingly alarming, with two children suspected of having measles dying in the past 24 hours. During the same period, 99 new suspected measles patients were admitted to hospitals.
With the latest deaths, the number of suspected and confirmed measles-related deaths in the division this year has risen to 130.
The figures were reported in a measles update issued by the Office of the Divisional Director of Health, Sylhet, on Wednesday (August 12).
According to the report, 25 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours. From January 1 to August 12, a total of 901 confirmed measles cases have been recorded across the division.
Of these, 298 cases were reported in Sylhet district, 123 in Habiganj, 127 in Moulvibazar and 353 in Sunamganj. Two confirmed patients in Habiganj were also diagnosed with rubella.
Meanwhile, 99 new suspected measles patients were admitted to hospitals across the division in the past 24 hours. Of them, 50 were admitted to Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, 39 to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, two to North East Medical College Hospital, one to Mount Adora Hospital, two to Moulvibazar District Sadar Hospital and five to Sunamganj District Sadar Hospital.
A total of 286 suspected measles patients are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals in the division. Among them, 148 are at Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, 70 at Osmani Medical College Hospital and 14 at Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Hospital.
In addition, 29 patients are being treated at Sunamganj District Sadar Hospital and 11 at Moulvibazar District Sadar Hospital, while others are receiving treatment at various hospitals and upazila health complexes.
The district-wise figures also paint a grim picture of the outbreak. So far, 43 people have died of suspected measles in Sylhet, 16 in Habiganj, 12 in Moulvibazar and 53 in Sunamganj.
Separately, confirmed measles deaths stand at four in Sylhet, one in Moulvibazar and one in Sunamganj. Combining suspected and confirmed deaths, the toll stands at 47 in Sylhet, 16 in Habiganj, 13 in Moulvibazar and 54 in Sunamganj, bringing the divisional total to 130.
The report said one of the two children who died in the past 24 hours was a five-month-old from Gowainghat upazila in Sylhet, while the other was a six-month-old from Jamalganj upazila in Sunamganj. Both had been undergoing treatment at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
