Eid joy disappears for measles-affected families

With a cannula attached to her tiny hand, little Maisha wore a serene smile as her father, Manik Hossain, walked slowly through the corridor of the DNCC Dedicated Covid Hospital in the capital’s Mohakhali, carrying her in his arms.
It was Eid day. While people were busy attending Eid congregations and performing qurbani (animal sacrifice), Maisha’s father found solace in his nearly one-year-old daughter’s smile.
“I brought Maisha here on 19 May. It is the first time in nearly a week that she has been able to leave her hospital bed and be carried outside. She was too weak and her condition was very serious. Alhamdulillah, she looks better today,” Manik told this correspondent.
When asked about Eid celebrations, he replied, “My daughter means the world to me. I have found Eid joy in her smiling face.”
By 12:00pm, hospital authorities had restricted access to the measles ward, allowing entry only to a limited number of family members due to concerns over the highly contagious nature of the disease.
Nurses on duty in the emergency ward said that 115 measles patients had been admitted to the hospital.
A visit to the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute on Sunday morning revealed a similar situation.
Hailing from the Shekher Tek area of Mohammadpur, Shahadat Hossain, father of three-year-old Faiza, was resting outside the hospital while his wife stayed with their daughter. The pallor on his face made it clear that he had neither slept nor eaten properly for days. The helplessness weighing on his mind had also taken a visible toll on his health.
A microbus driver by profession, Shahadat said Faiza is the youngest of his three children.
“Faiza had a fever, and she was vomiting and suffering from diarrhoea. I brought her here so that a doctor could prescribe some medicine. The doctor said it was probably measles and that she needed to be admitted for treatment. We have been here since the 22nd,” he told the Daily Sun.
The family had been scheduled to travel to their village home in Chandpur’s Kachua on Wednesday to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha. Unable to make the trip, Shahadat asked his mother and sister to come to Dhaka to look after the two children left at home.
“I had about Tk35,000 for Eid celebrations. I have spent all of it and borrowed another Tk5,000 from a relative to continue the treatment,” he added.
A total of 118 children are currently receiving treatment at the children’s hospital after being diagnosed with measles or showing symptoms of the disease. Since January, 941 children have been admitted with measles, of whom 35 have died.
Professor Azharul Islam, deputy director of the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, said: “Today the pressure is slightly higher. Beds are being vacated, and new patients are being admitted. It is the last day of the holiday. Professors have conducted ward rounds every day, including today. Along with the hospital director, we have also been monitoring the situation from an administrative level.”
According to him, numerous measles patients are arriving from across the country. There are also patients with other illnesses, but measles cases are now being referred here from all over Bangladesh.
Two more children died in the country from measles symptoms in the past 24 hours (from 8:00am Saturday to 8:00am Sunday). During this period, 1,377 people contracted measles or showed symptoms. Among them, 53 children were confirmed to have measles, while 1,324 showed symptoms of the disease, according to a measles report by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With this, a total of 495 children have died in the country from measles symptoms since 15 March. During the same period, 90 children died after being confirmed positive for measles. In total, 585 children have died, while around 70,936 children have developed measles symptoms so far.