An eight-month-old boy died Sunday after battling measles, as the extent of the outbreak in Bangladesh this year kept growing.

Irfan Ahmed, son of Ishtiak Ahmed from the Noorpur area of Kushtia, died at 2pm on Sunday while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute after a 16-day illness.

According to his family, Irfan was first treated at Kushtia Medical College Hospital for seven days before being taken to Dhaka.

He was then admitted to the DNCC Hospital, where he received treatment for five days, before being transferred to the Shishu Hospital for more advanced treatment.

He was admitted to the ICU last Thursday, but doctors were unable to save him.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh recorded eight deaths from measles or measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours leading up to 8:00 am on Sunday.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 143 confirmed measles cases and 1,421 suspected cases were reported across the country during the same period.

The DGHS said a total of 32,028 suspected measles cases have been recorded in the country since March 15 last. Of them, 21,434 have been hospitalised.

Among those taken to hospitals, 17,955 have recovered and been released.

As of Sunday, the DGHS recorded 216 suspected deaths from measles, alongside 43 confirmed ones.

The 'suspected' cases lack a lab-tested confirmation. Measles patients, due to their distinct symptoms, are not always tested in the lab, of which there is a severe shortage anyway.

Confusion has arisen among the public over deaths from measles and deaths with measles symptoms. This confusion has been created by DGHS, which has described some deaths as “suspected measles” in its press releases, according to the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) and the National Verification Committee (NVC).

On Thursday, they said in a statement that this reporting method is giving rise to confusion among the public, and added that the 'suspected' cases must be counted as deaths from measles.

If that directive is to be followed, 259 children have died since March 15 of measles.