Dhaka, May 31 (IANS) Two more children have died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in 24 hours till 8 a.m. on Sunday, raising the death toll to 585 since March 15, local media reported.

Both the deaths have been classified as suspected, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

With the latest casualties, the total number of suspected measles death in Bangladesh has reached 495 while the confirmed deaths stood at 90, United News of Bangladesh reported.

As many as 1,324 suspected measles cases were recorded in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours, raising the suspected cases to 70,936. During the same period, 53 confirmed measles cases were reported in Bangladesh, increasing the total number of confirmed infections to 9,049.

As many as 56,886 suspected measles patients have been hospitalised in Bangladesh since March 15, of whom 52,841 have recovered, according to the DGHS, United News of Bangladesh reported.

Last week, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said that it had repeatedly warned the country’s earlier interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, both through written communication and meetings with Health Ministry officials, about vaccine shortages that could trigger a major health crisis, local media reported.

Addressing a press briefing in Dhaka, Rana Flowers, UNICEF representative to Bangladesh, said that the UN agency sent five to six letters to the health authorities on the issue and raised the matter in 10 meetings during the tenure of the previous interim government.

“From 2024, we were warning the government that the shortage of vaccines could lead to an outbreak. From 2024 to 2025 and into 2026, we sent letters, and we had 10 different meetings signalling this was a problem and that orders for vaccines needed to be given. They could not,” The Daily Star quoted Flowers as saying.

According to Flowers, Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, raised concerns over vaccine shortages at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry during his visit to Bangladesh in August last year.

She added that the UN agency would provide evidence to assist the investigation launched by the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government on the measles outbreak.

–IANS

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