One more child died with measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours to 8 a.m. on Wednesday, taking Bangladesh's combined toll of suspected and laboratory-confirmed measles-related deaths to 1,205 since the outbreak began in March, The Business Standard reported, citing the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the total, 104 deaths have been confirmed through laboratory tests and 1,101 are classified as suspected measles-related deaths, the DGHS data showed.

Another 997 suspected measles cases were reported in the same 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally of suspected cases to 216,765, while 13 new laboratory-confirmed cases brought confirmed infections to 23,212, The Business Standard reported. Since March 15, a total of 192,695 patients with suspected measles have been hospitalised across the country, of whom 185,110 have recovered, according to the DGHS figures.

The outbreak is Bangladesh's worst measles crisis in years. Al Jazeera reported that measles deaths surpassed 1,000 earlier in the outbreak, with most cases recorded among children aged between six months and five years. The country has administered more than 20 million vaccine doses since April, but analysts cited by Al Jazeera say past slip-ups in vaccination coverage have led to the mounting death toll despite the record drive.

A follow-up report by NPR in September found that health experts now put the true vaccination target at 22.6 million children, above the roughly 18.4 million vaccinated in the campaign — a gap that has given the highly contagious virus a continued chance to spread. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Bangladesh had more measles cases than any other country in the first half of this year, NPR said.

Health authorities say the challenge now is reaching children who missed routine doses while surveillance continues for new infections. The figures are the DGHS's official counts; suspected deaths are those recorded with measles-like symptoms and are not all laboratory-confirmed, a distinction the health directorate itself maintains in its daily updates.

Sources: The Business Standard (DGHS data), October 21; Al Jazeera, Bangladesh measles coverage; NPR, September 9 follow-up report.