United News of Bangladesh

Three children died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours ending at 8:00am on Tuesday, bringing the country’s combined tally of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 1,204 this year. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) classified all three latest fatalities as suspected measles deaths. With this, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 1,100, while confirmed deaths from measles have remained the same at 104. A total of 1,217 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, taking the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 215,768. Meanwhile, 42 new confirmed measles cases were recorded, pushing laboratory-confirmed infections to23,199. Since March 15 this year, a total of 191,761 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 184,168 have recovered, according to the DGHS.  

The Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) will organise a scientific seminar on Tuesday to mark World Osteoporosis Day 2026, aiming to raise awareness about bone health and osteoporosis prevention. The seminar titled “Osteoporosis: A Preventable Epidemic,” will be held at 11:00am at the Convention Hall of the Super Specialized Hospital of Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) in the capital. Dr Zubaida Rahman, vice president of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation and a prominent cardiologist, will attend the event as the chief guest. DAB President Prof Dr Harun Al Rashid will preside over the seminar, while Prof Dr AKM Khalequzzaman Dipu will make the keynote presentation. Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain and State Minister Dr MA Muhit will attend as special guests. Prof Dr Farhad Halim Donar, a member of the BNP Standing Committee and chief adviser to DAB, and BMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr FM Siddiqui will also attend. The programme will include a question-and-answer session, a panel discussion and a quiz. The panel of experts includes Prof Dr Erfanul Haque Siddiqui, Prof Dr Faruk Quashem, Prof Dr Sayed Akram Hossain, Prof Dr Shamim Ahmed, Dr Sheikh Farid Ahmed and Prof Mohammad Belalul Islam. The event will be held under the theme “Build, Protect, and Strengthen Your Bones for Life,” with Incepta as the scientific partner. World Osteoporosis Day is observed annually on October 20 to raise awareness about osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become weak and fragile, increasing the risk of fractures.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS)  on Monday handed over 50,000 dengue NS1 test kits, 70,000 bags of normal saline and 15,000 bags of baby saline, along with saline sets, to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) as part of its ongoing Dengue Response Operation 2026. Additionally, BDRCS provided 5,000 bags of normal saline to Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital (HFRCMCH) to support the treatment of dengue patients. The handover ceremony was held at the BDRCS Headquarters in Dhaka. The Chairman of BDRCS Barrister Md. Abdus Salam handed over the medical supplies to Professor Dr. Halimur Rashid, Director (Disease Control), DGHS, and Dr. Md. Nasiruddin Ponir, Director of Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Monday said the lion’s share of the health budget will be allocated to cancer treatment, if necessary, pledging to expedite the installation of modern equipment for the treatment of life-threatening disease. “Delays in the installation and commissioning of modern equipment for cancer treatment will be removed. Initiatives will also be taken, with the Prime Minister’s support, to ensure duty-free import facilities for such equipment,” he said. The minister made the remarks while addressing a discussion titled “Cancer Care for All: Integrating Prevention, Precision Treatment, Palliative Care and Policy” at the National Cancer Conference 2026 at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) in the city’s Mohakhali area. He said initiatives are being taken to install radiotherapy machines at cancer hospitals across the country quickly so that patients can receive modern treatment in the country rather than going abroad. Sakhawat said there are necessary manpower and technologists to operate the modern equipment. “If necessary, arrangements will be made to train them over the next three months to ensure the optimum use of the new technologies,” he said. Criticising past mismanagement in the health sector, he said the 17 years of rule under the previous government had left the sector far behind. The minister said negligence will no longer be tolerated in the health sector and warned that those who fail to discharge their duties properly could lose their jobs. NICRH Director Prof Dr Mostafa Aziz Sumon chaired the discussion, while BNP Standing Committee member Prof Dr Farhad Haim Donar, Public Works Department Chief Engineer Md Khalequezzaman Choudhury and Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Prof Dr Zahid Raihan, among others, attended the event.

Four more people died of dengue and 1,851 new patients were hospitalised in the country in the 24 hours ending at 8:00am on Monday. With the latest fatalities, the dengue death toll has risen to 352 in the country this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the total dengue deaths, 107 were recorded in October as of Monday. Among the new deaths, two were reported in Dhaka South City Corporation area and one each was recorded in Dhaka North City Corporation area and Mymensingh division. Of the total fatalities recorded this year, 47.0 percent were men and 53.0 percent were women. Since January 1 this year, a total of 1,14,251 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 107,865 have recovered.

The combined number of suspected and confirmed measles deaths in Bangladesh has reached 1,201, with five children dying with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours to Monday morning. Of the total deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has classified 1,097 as suspected measles deaths and 104 as confirmed deaths from measles. A total of 1,307 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 214,551 Meanwhile, 35 new confirmed measles cases were recorded in the 24 hours, pushing laboratory-confirmed infections to 23,157 Since March 15 this year, a total of 190,663 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 183,042 have recovered, according to the DGHS.

Seven children died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Sunday, bringing the country’s combined tally of confirmed and suspected measles deaths to 1,196 this year. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) classified all seven latest fatalities as suspected measles deaths. With this, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 1,092, while confirmed deaths from measles have remained the same at 104. A total of 1,254 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, taking the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 213,244. Meanwhile, 65 new confirmed measles cases were recorded in the 24-hour period, pushing laboratory-confirmed infections to 23,122. Since March 15 this year, a total of 189,484 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 181,756 have recovered, according to the DGHS.  

Speakers at a workshop on Saturday called for allocating a significant share of Bangladesh's increased health budget to hypertension control, saying sustainable financing could help reduce deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). They said NCDs, including hypertension, account for approximately 571,000 deaths in Bangladesh every year, making stronger investment in prevention, treatment and access to essential medicines crucial. The call was made at a workshop titled “Sustainable Financing for Hypertension Control in Bangladesh: Progress, Barriers and the Way Forward” at BMA Bhaban in the capital. Research and advocacy organisation PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) organised the workshop with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI). A total of 28 journalists from print, television and online media attended the event. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' (BBS) Health and Morbidity Status Survey 2025, hypertension ranks first among the country's top 10 diseases. In 2024, around 283,800 people died from cardiovascular diseases in Bangladesh, with hypertension accounting for 52 percent of those deaths, the workshop was told. The rising prevalence of hypertension among young people is also a concern. According to the Bangladesh NCD STEPS Survey 2018, around 12 percent of people aged 18-39 were found to have hypertension. Md Riad Arafin, deputy general manager (sales and marketing) of Essential Drugs Company Limited, said the increase in the health budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year was an important government initiative. Prioritising hypertension control in the increased allocation would help ensure an uninterrupted supply of free medicines for disadvantaged communities, he said. Doulot Akter Mala, president of the Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF), said NCDs account for 71 percent of all deaths in the country, while only 4.2 percent of the health budget is allocated to the sector. The media could play an important role in highlighting the need for increased allocations to address the burden of NCDs, she said. Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh country lead of GHAI, said hypertension affected more people in the country than any other disease, making sustainable financing essential to controlling it. The workshop was chaired by ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA, while Samiha Bintay Kamal, programme officer of the organisation, delivered the thematic presentation.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Sunday urged doctors, particularly female physicians, to take breast cancer awareness campaigns to rural communities, saying seminars alone will not adequately benefit disadvantaged women. “If you spend at least three days a year in villages or talk to women wherever you are, I think you can make a significant contribution to breast cancer awareness,” he said while addressing a discussion at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2026. Highlighting the challenges faced by rural women, who often remain occupied with household chores and have limited access to health information, the minister called for coordinated efforts by the government, doctors and educated members of society to take awareness campaigns to the grassroots. He also raised concerns about the affordability of treatment for poor women, questioning how many could access medical care even after screening detected breast cancer. Sakhawat stressed the need to ensure that disadvantaged women receive proper medical care. He also expressed concern over cases among young women, saying he spoke to several hundred women during a recent visit to his home district. The minister said the government is working to extend breast cancer screening to the grassroots through health and well-being centres, but acknowledged that implementing the initiative will take time. He said the plan requires infrastructure development, recruitment of doctors and midwives, and training to ensure screening services and awareness reach women in rural communities. Director of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Prof Dr Md Nashir Uddin presided over the event. PM's Special Assistant on Health Affairs SM Ziauddin Hyder and Dhaka Medical College Hospital Director Brigadier General AKM Farhad Hossain, among others, spoke at the event.

Two more children died with measles-like symptoms in Sylhet division in the past 24 hours to Sunday morning, raising the death toll from measles and related symptoms in the region to 195 this year. The two children died while undergoing treatment at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. The deceased are Parvez, a 22-day-old boy from Nabiganj upazila in Habiganj district, and Sadia, an 18-month-old girl from Fatehpur in Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet district. Of the 195 deaths reported so far this year, 81 were in Sylhet, 69 in Sunamganj, 30 in Habiganj and 15 in Moulvibazar, according to the Office of the Divisional Director of Health in Sylhet. Currently, 447 patients with measles or measles-like symptoms were receiving treatment at hospitals across the division. Since January 1, a total of 1,115 confirmed measles cases have been detected in the division, including 442 in Sylhet, 357 in Sunamganj, 158 in Moulvibazar and 158 in Habiganj, according to the health office.