One more child dies with measles-like symptoms in Sylhet

A two-year-old child named Saju died with measles-like symptoms in Sylhet on Monday. The child passed away at 9:00 am at Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. With this latest death, the number of children who died with measles-like symptoms in Sylhet has risen to five.

On the same day, two more children with similar symptoms were admitted to Osmani Hospital. Among them, a five-month-old infant named Arham is in critical condition.

Brigadier General Omar Rashed Munir, Director of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, said that many critically ill patients are being referred to Osmani Hospital after initial treatment elsewhere.

He emphasized that measles patients require specialized care and cannot be placed in general ICUs without dedicated facilities, making it increasingly difficult to handle the growing patient load.

He added that Saju had been with measles and developed severe complications, including acute diarrhea, pneumonia, and cardiac arrest. Due to the deterioration of the child’s condition, the patient had been placed on mechanical ventilation since the previous day. Despite all supportive treatment, the condition continued to worsen, and the child was declared dead at 9:00 am.

Sources said that in the past 24 hours, 41 new patients with measles symptoms have been admitted to hospitals across Sylhet division. Currently, 153 patients are receiving treatment. The highest number of patients (79) was admitted to Sylhet Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital.