Measles, dengue keep hospitals under strain
Public hospitals in Barishal and Dhaka are struggling to cope with a growing number of measles and dengue patients, with several facilities operating well beyond their bed capacity.
At Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal, the pressure has become particularly severe. Its 75-bed paediatric ward was treating 427 children as of Tuesday noon.
Among them were 112 children with measles symptoms and around 30 suffering from diarrhoea, leaving barely any space even on the ward floor. The hospital was also treating 72 dengue patients.
The situation is similarly crowded in Dhaka. As of September 1, more than 99 measles patients and 37 dengue patients were admitted to Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute.
At Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka 236 dengue patients were occupying beds-nearly twice the hospital’s capacity-while another 83 patients with measles had been admitted.
A doctor at the hospital said patients were often being admitted only when their conditions became serious because of the shortage of beds.
The pressure on hospitals reflects a wider surge in infections across the country, with Barishal among the worst-affected regions.
In August alone, nearly 3,500 children with measles symptoms were admitted to government hospitals across Barishal Division. Five children with measles symptoms died in July, although no such deaths were reported in August.
Meanwhile, around 2,700 dengue patients were admitted to government hospitals in the division last month, with two deaths reported.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 17,273 children have been admitted to government hospitals across Barishal Division with measles symptoms so far. Of them, 776 cases were confirmed as measles, while 54 children died, including 19 confirmed measles deaths.
Dengue has also continued to put pressure on the health system. A total of 6,560 dengue patients have been admitted to government hospitals in the region in recent months, with nine deaths reported. Of those patients, 6,158 have recovered and been discharged, while 393 were still receiving treatment as of Tuesday noon.
Doctors and health experts fear that the actual number of infections could be significantly higher, as many patients seek treatment at government hospitals only after their conditions become serious.
Health officials have stressed the importance of vaccination to contain measles and urged local authorities and residents to step up efforts to eliminate Aedes mosquito breeding grounds to curb dengue.
The shortage of intensive care facilities is adding to the problem. Apart from Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, there are no dedicated ICU facilities for severe measles cases in other government hospitals across the Barishal region. District and upazila hospitals face a similar shortage.
With hundreds of children being treated in overcrowded wards, doctors and hospital staff are now facing the difficult task of managing two simultaneous disease outbreaks with limited beds and critical-care facilities.
