In Bangladesh, children receive the first dose of the measles vaccine at the age of nine months.
However, at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, 65 per cent of children infected with measles are below nine months of age.
The highest number of infections has been recorded among infants around six months old.
On Monday, 10 more children with measles symptoms were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Until Sunday, the number of infected children stood at 92; by Monday afternoon, it had risen to 102.
Over the past three months, the hospital has been admitting children with measles, with a total of 270 pediatric cases recorded during this period.
Meanwhile, by Sunday evening, 63 samples had been tested through the World Health Organization.
Of these, 34 tested positive for measles, indicating an infection rate of approximately 54 per cent.
Among the confirmed cases, 16 were from Chapainawabganj, 8 from Pabna, 7 from Rajshahi, and 3 from Naogaon.
The highest number of patients admitted to the hospital came from Chapainawabganj, and most of the currently hospitalised measles patients are also from that district.
Shahida Yeasmin, head of the Pediatrics Department at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, told Prothom Alo, “In the country, the first measles vaccine is administered at nine months of age. However, we are observing that infection rates are higher among children aged six months or younger. Our calculations show that, from January until now, 65 per cent of children admitted with measles symptoms were below nine months of age.”
As of Monday, 16 children with measles symptoms were on the waiting list for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), of whom 10 were under nine months old.
This means that 62.5 per cent of the children awaiting ICU admission are below the age eligible for the first measles vaccination.
On Friday (27 March), a child named Eva was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital after her guardians failed to find any physician at a private diagnostic centre.
Her father, Elias Hossain, said, “The fever has not subsided; rather, since Saturday, measles has appeared on my child’s body.” The child is only six months old.
On Saturday afternoon, another child named Yana from Barorshia village in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj was found in bed no 3 on the corridor of ward-10.
Her father, Mohammad Wasim, said, “When we came to the hospital three days ago, my child did not have measles. We came due to cold, fever, and pneumonia. After arriving here, measles appeared on her body.”
He added that they had brought the child to the hospital just one day before she turned nine months old.
The following day, the hospital contacted them for address verification. Upon further inquiry, authorities found that most affected children were below nine months of age.
Since Saturday evening, the hospital has established an isolation ward for children admitted with measles or measles-like symptoms.
The ward has 30 beds, with additional arrangements to accommodate five patients on the corridor. Furthermore, a dedicated measles corner has been set up in ward no 10, with capacity for 10 patients.