Eight children die as measles toll reaches 779

Eight children died with suspected measles in the 24 hours to 8:00am on Thursday, raising Bangladesh's combined total of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 779, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The health authority classified all eight fatalities as suspected measles deaths.

With the latest update, the number of suspected measles deaths has increased to 684, while the number of laboratory-confirmed deaths remains unchanged at 95.

The DGHS also reported 974 new suspected measles cases during the reporting period, taking the nationwide total of suspected infections to 115,138.

A further 197 laboratory-confirmed cases were recorded over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed measles infections to 14,104.

Since 15 March, a total of 97,819 patients with suspected measles have been admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 94,275 have recovered, according to DGHS data.