Ensure measles vaccination and treatment

The outbreak of measles among children in the country is alarming.

Media reports, quoting official figures, yesterday said that a total of 38 children died of measles in the country from March 15 to April 21, while 185 children also died with measles symptoms.

The parents of these 185 children did not know what disease their children died of.

As far as we know, the reason for this lack of knowledge is the lack of necessary facilities for the tests needed to identify measles.

According the reports, the Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (BITID), the country’s only institution providing specialized medical services for tropical and infectious diseases, was opened in Fauzdarhat, Chittagong.

Though the institution has about fifty doctors, including specialists, as well as advanced lab facilities, samples of patients admitted to hospitals in Chittagong, including BITID, and those seeking treatment in outpatient departments are being sent to the National Polio and Measles-Rubella Laboratory (NPML) of the Institute of Public Health (IPH) in Dhaka.

Many children die before the test reports are received from Dhaka. Then they were included in the list of patients who died with measles symptoms.

It is known that an average of 15 to 20 patients with infectious diseases measles and measles symptoms are being admitted to the 120-bed hospital at BITID every day.

Apart from this, more than a hundred more patients are undergoing treatment for symptoms and measles at various hospitals including Chittagong Medical College (CMC) Hospital, Chittagong Mother and Child Hospital. There is no ICU at BITID either.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Health Services has ordered all government hospitals to increase beds to cope with the increasing number of measles patients in the country.

At the same time, clear instructions have also been given that no patient will be turned away on the pretext of bed shortage.

The directive states that even if there are no vacant beds, additional beds should be arranged if necessary to treat patients.

Only patients in critical conditions can be referred according to the prescribed rules.

We do not understand why ICU facilities are not being provided to important hospitals like BITID.

At the same time, it is necessary to introduce the measles test at BITID, then at least patients in Chittagong and surrounding areas will benefit.

Doctors say that measles tests can be conducted at BITID if the kits are provided.

Besides, more emphasis should be placed on vaccination programs across the country to control measles.

The loss of children’s lives due to a preventable disease like measles cannot be tolerated.