United News of Bangladesh

One child died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Friday, taking the country’s combined number of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 987 this year. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the latest fatality was classified as suspected measles death, with no confirmed deaths reported during the period. With this, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 888, while confirmed deaths from measles have remained the same at 99. A total of 1,114 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, bringing the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 162,262. Meanwhile, 40 new confirmed measles cases were recorded, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 19,567. Since March 15 this year, a total of 142,453 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 137,350 have recovered, according to DGHS data.    

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Friday vowed to make every government hospital in the country free of brokers. He made the remarks while briefing journalists after inspecting Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, the 250-bed District Hospital and Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmad Hospital in Sylhet. Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir was present at the briefing. The health minister also directed the authorities concerned to resolve all drainage and cleanliness problems at hospitals in Sylhet within seven days. He said a syndicate lures patients to private clinics with false promises. Sakhawat said all law enforcement agencies, including the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), are working together to identify and curb such broker syndicates. “They activities have already been reduced.” Regarding the ongoing drive against illegal clinics and fake doctors, he said mobile courts are being conducted regularly in the districts through deputy commissioners and civil surgeons, with illegal establishments being fined and sealed off. The minister said clinics providing medical services, including surgeries, through unauthorised doctors and technicians holding fake certificates are also being sealed off. He said he is personally collecting lists of such establishments and supervising the drives against them. Asked about doctors’ attendance at hospitals, Sakhawat said he has visited more than 25 hospitals over the past month and found doctors fully present. He added that patients have also reported improvements in doctors’ behaviour and the quality of food served at hospitals. On the measles outbreak, the minister said the number of unvaccinated children in the country has increased as regular measles vaccination campaigns were not held for a long time after December 2020, resulting in the spread of the disease. He said some children who became eligible for vaccination after the campaign, as well as those who missed vaccination on time due to lack of awareness, remained unvaccinated, allowing measles to spread among them. Sakhawat said vaccination activities are continuing with adequate vaccines brought in with support from the World Bank and UNICEF.  

Standard Chartered Bangladesh has joined hands with icddr,b to donate and distribute 80 high-capacity oxygen concentrators across rural healthcare facilities in Dhaka, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, and Khulna divisions. The initiative aims to address critical medical oxygen shortages in marginal communities where secondary respiratory complications are common, particularly among infants and young children aged 6 to 24 months. In remote regions where healthcare facilities are difficult to access, maintaining an uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen presents a major hurdle during seasonal outbreaks of respiratory illnesses. The deployment of reliable, on-site oxygen concentrators will enable frontline healthcare workers to deliver timely, life-saving treatment to underserved populations. Under the partnership, international health research organization icddr,b will oversee the distribution, installation, and post-deployment management of the devices to ensure operational sustainability. Enamul Huque, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said, "Access to timely and appropriate healthcare is essential, particularly for communities living in areas where healthcare resources are limited. Through this partnership with icddr,b, we are supporting rural healthcare facilities with essential equipment that can help strengthen their capacity to provide oxygen support when it is needed." Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director of icddr,b, highlighted that many private and NGO-run hospitals suffer from insufficient oxygen infrastructure alongside high equipment costs. "In response to these challenges, Standard Chartered Bangladesh's donation is critical to address this gap in oxygen availability and support improved patient outcomes across Bangladesh," he noted. Standard Chartered Bangladesh has previously supported the installation of medical-grade oxygen Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants at Kumudini Hospital, M A Rashid Hospital in Jamalpur, TMSS Medical College, Rafatullah Community Hospital, and Chattogram Maa-Shishu O General Hospital.

Four people died of dengue and 1,252 new patients were hospitalised across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Thursday. With the latest fatalities, the dengue death toll has risen to 111 in the country this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Dengue claims woman’s life in Faridpur; 11 hospitalised in 24 hours The new deaths were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation, Dhaka South City Corporation, and Khulna and Chattogram divisions. Since January 1 this year, a total of 39,532 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 36,467 have been discharged after recovery.

Three children died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Thursday, raising the country’s combined number of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 986 this year. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has classified all three latest fatalities as suspected measles deaths. Nationwide measles vaccination campaign to be held in three weeks: Health minister With these, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 887, while confirmed deaths from measles have remained the same at 99. A total of 964 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, bringing the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 161,148. Meanwhile, 80 new confirmed measles cases were recorded, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 19,527. Since March 15 this year, a total of 141,449 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 136,405 have recovered, according to DGHS data.

Five more people died of dengue and 1,110 new patients were hospitalised across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00 am on Wednesday. With the latest fatalities, the dengue death toll has risen to 107 in the country this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The new deaths were reported in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Mymensingh and Barishal divisions (out of CC). Of them, two each were recorded in DNCC and Mymensingh division. Since January 1 this year, a total of 38,280 dengue patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 35,433 have been discharged after recovery.    

Four children died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Monday, bringing the country’s combined tally of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 983 this year. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has classified all four latest fatalities as suspected measles deaths. With these, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 884, while confirmed deaths from measles have remained the same at 99. A total of 1,034 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, bringing the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 160,184. Meanwhile, 63 new confirmed measles cases were recorded, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 19,447. Since March 15 this year, a total of 140,472 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 135,417 have recovered, according to DGHS data.

Five people died of dengue, and 1,324 new patients were hospitalised across the country in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Tuesday. With the latest fatalities, the dengue death toll has reached 102 in the country this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The new deaths were reported in Dhaka South City Corporation, Dhaka North City Corporation, Chattogram and Mymensingh divisions, it said. Of them, DSCC recorded two fatalities alone. Since January 1 this year, a total of 37,170 dengue patients were admitted to hospitals across the country. Of them, 34,385 have been discharged after recovery.  

Six children died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00am on Monday, bringing the country’s combined tally of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths to 973 this year. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has classified all six latest fatalities as suspected measles deaths. With these, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 874, while confirmed deaths from measles have remained the same at 99. A total of 1,162 new suspected measles cases were reported during the 24-hour period, bringing the cumulative number of suspected cases nationwide to 157,991. Meanwhile, 94 new confirmed measles cases were recorded, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 19,312. Since March 15 this year, a total of 138,445 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 133,404 have recovered, according to DGHS data.

Mount Adora Hospital and Noora Health Bangladesh on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch a family caregiver health education programme aimed at improving patient health outcomes and supporting recovery after discharge. The MoU was signed at the Noora Health office, formally launching the programme at Mount Adora Hospital in Sylhet, under which nurses and other healthcare providers will be trained to deliver structured health education to family caregivers in hospital wards. The initiative will equip family members caring for patients at home with practical, potentially life-saving knowledge on recognising danger signs, administering medication, managing wounds and supporting patients’ recovery after discharge. The programme will be rolled out across the hospital’s inpatient wards and outpatient departments through nurse-led education sessions, printed and digital health education materials in Bengali, and phone-based follow-up support for discharged patients and their families. Health experts at the MoU signing event said family caregiving education can improve patient health outcomes, enable family members to provide better support during recovery and increase satisfaction with hospital services. According to a press release, Noora Health has equipped more than 6.5 crore family caregivers and patients across Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Nepal through its training programmes since 2014.