Dhaka hospital fills with sick children as deadly measles outbreak spreads across Bangladesh

A major measles outbreak in Bangladesh has spread across most of the country with hundreds dead and children bearing the brunt of the crisis, local media reports.

A Dhaka hospital dedicated to treating measles cases was filled with patients on Tuesday (May 19), the majority of which were children.

Parents has travelled from remote areas of the country with their children, in the hope of better treatment.

Health authorities and U.N. agencies say transmission has been recorded in nearly all districts, with tens of thousands of suspected cases reported within weeks of the surge.

Data from a UNICEF situation report shows children are the hardest hit by the outbreak.

More than 80% of reported cases are among children under five, including many infants too young to receive routine immunisation.

Bangladesh has gone into a countrywide emergency vaccination campaign as local media on Tuesday reported the death toll from measles symptoms had risen to almost 500.

Production: Sam Jahan/Reuters