Dhaka, May 23 (IANS) At least 13 more people have died from measles and measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh on Saturday, taking the total number of confirmed and suspected deaths to 512, local media reported.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the deaths were reported in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday morning.

Among the 13 fatalities, one was a confirmed measles death, while the remaining 12 died with symptoms of the disease, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported

Reports suggest that the number of confirmed deaths surged to 86, while suspected deaths reached 426.

Additionally, 165 new confirmed cases were reported, taking the total tally of confirmed cases to 8,494 during the same period.

The DGHS also recorded 1,967 new suspected cases over the last 24 hours, increasing the total to 62,507.

Amid an escalating measles outbreak in Bangladesh, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) earlier this week 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 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 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government on the measles outbreak.

–IANS

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