DHAKA — Sani, 9 months old, lies in the specialized measles ward of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital, his body covered in patches and rashes. A saline drip runs into his arm. He is given oxygen when his breathing becomes labored. Half the hair on his head has been shaved off to insert a cannula. He cries constantly, and nothing his mother, Maruf Akhter, tries can calm him. His father stands silently nearby. The scene was visible in the hospital’s specialized measles ward on Saturday.
The boy’s father, Ilias Hossain, said the family is from Shariatpur. A month ago, the boy was admitted to the district hospital with pneumonia. On doctors’ advice, he was later transferred to the children’s hospital. After 15 days of treatment there, he contracted measles, Hossain said. “Since then we have been in a different kind of war. He is so small and so seriously ill. He won’t even breastfeed. When he cries, I feel helpless as a father.”
His is not an isolated case. Parents of at least 10 children being treated at the hospital said their children had first been admitted with pneumonia and then contracted measles from other patients during treatment. Many other children admitted for unrelated illnesses are also catching the disease, swelling case numbers daily.
Between January and April this year, 466 children were admitted to the hospital with measles symptoms, hospital sources said. Of those, 17 died. Two children were admitted in January, six in February, 130 in March and 328 in April, a 152.31 percent jump from March. Among the patients, the largest group are children 6 to 9 months old, accounting for 158 cases, or 33.91 percent of the total. Another 123 are between 9 months and 2 years old, 107 are under 6 months, 53 are between 2 and 5 years and 26 are 5 years old. As of Saturday, 81 children with measles symptoms were admitted.
The hospital has opened a dedicated measles unit. None of the 80 beds, including those in the intensive care unit, is vacant. Doctors and nurses are struggling to keep up. Most of the patients are under 2 years old. Some are on saline drips, some have feeding tubes and others are on oxygen support.
The children cry continuously from high fever and pain. Parents sit by the beds with tears in their eyes, stroking their children’s heads or wiping their bodies with damp cloths. Many expressed frustration at being unable to get the care they sought. The intensive care unit shortage is acute. On Saturday afternoon, at least five families waiting outside the unit were turned away because no beds were available, witnesses said. They said they had been forced to take their children to private hospitals or clinics.
Nurul Islam, from Hajiganj in Chandpur, said his 7-month-old child was admitted 15 days ago. After three days, his condition deteriorated. “I thought my child’s life was slipping away,” he said. Doctors recommended intensive care, but no bed was available. After much lobbying, a bed opened three days later. The child is still under intensive care but is improving, he said.
Ayesha Begum, from Madaripur, said her 8-month-old son, Abu Rayhan, first developed a cold and fever and was later diagnosed with pneumonia. As his condition worsened, he was brought to the children’s hospital. Fifteen days later a red rash appeared on his body. Doctors said it was measles. He is now improving but has not fully recovered. She blamed exposure to other measles patients for her son’s infection.
Doctors at the hospital said measles is highly contagious and can spread quickly through breathing and coughing. The size of the outbreak has made it hard to manage. Skipped vaccinations and malnutrition are making the infection deadly, they said.
Children with measles who also suffer from pneumonia, diarrhea or congenital heart disease are dying at higher rates, doctors said.
Dr. Azharul Islam, deputy director of the children’s hospital, said the specialized measles ward has added beds and intensive care facilities have been expanded. “As a government institution, we have some limitations,” he said. “Patients are coming from across the country, increasing the pressure, and we cannot provide a bed for everyone. Still, we are trying to provide the best possible care.”
Four more children died of suspected measles across the country in the past 24 hours, the Directorate General of Health Services said. No confirmed measles deaths were reported in that period. Suspected measles cases rose by 1,024 and confirmed cases by 72, taking total new cases to 1,096. The cumulative death toll from suspected measles since March 15 has risen to 235, and confirmed measles deaths now total 49 children, bringing the overall toll to 284, according to a Saturday bulletin from the directorate.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report