Measles Outbreak Overwhelms 31-Bed Hospital with 70 Children

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A severe measles outbreak has overwhelmed the Alikadam Upazila Health Complex in Bangladesh’s remote Bandarban district, where more than 100 patients, predominantly children with measles-like symptoms, are receiving treatment on hospital floors and verandas, vastly exceeding the facility’s 31-bed capacity. The escalating crisis, particularly acute in the Mro-inhabited Kurukpata Union where four children have died, has led to critical shortages of beds, food, and medical personnel, exacerbated by the region’s challenging geographic isolation.

The Alikadam Upazila Health Complex, designed for 31 patients, currently struggles to manage over 100 individuals. Of these, 70 children are admitted with measles-like symptoms, while more than 30 others are being treated for conditions such as diarrhea and malaria. Patients are resorting to makeshift beds on the facility’s floors and verandas due to the severe lack of space. On Monday alone, 15 children exhibiting measles symptoms were transferred and admitted from a temporary clinic in Poamuhuri, Kurukpata Union, joining 55 children already receiving treatment for similar symptoms.

Mohammad Hanif, the Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer (UH&FPO), underscored the dire situation, noting that while the hospital has the infrastructure to be upgraded to 50 beds, it lacks official approval. Consequently, the limited staff allocated for a 31-bed facility must contend with over three times that patient load, and food provisions intended for 31 patients are distributed among more than 100. Hanif further explained that collecting sufficient beds, clothing, and food for the overflowing patient numbers is extremely difficult. While some supplies are sourced locally, a severe manpower shortage prevents their efficient distribution, as half of the health complex’s personnel have been redeployed to the challenging terrain of Kurukpata’s temporary clinics.

Kurukpata, a remote union predominantly inhabited by the Mro community, has been grappling with the measles outbreak for about a month. The disease has claimed the lives of four children in the union, and over a hundred others have received treatment there. A significant barrier to care is the region’s poor connectivity; residents often face a grueling 12-kilometer walk through hilly terrain to reach the hospital, making it unfeasible for many to transport their sick children. This prompted calls for temporary clinics, leading to the establishment of such facilities on April 25.

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The Bangladeshi Army supervises these temporary clinics, assisting with the transport of patients from remote areas to the main health complex and back home upon recovery. They also ensure that patients with measles-like symptoms receive completely free treatment and medication. Local community leaders, including Uthowainggya, director of Prenoy Hostel, and Sethang Mro, president of the Mro Youth Organization, are also actively supporting the relief efforts. They collaborate with the army and upazila administration to transport patients from temporary clinics at Kurukpata Bazar and Poamuhuri Biddyamonipara Government Primary School to the health center, and provide food for guardians staying with admitted patients.

Mizanur Rahman, a statistician from the District Civil Surgeon’s office, confirmed that measles-like symptoms were first detected in Alikadam, Lama, and Naikhongchhari on March 28. However, he noted that the outbreak has become particularly severe in the remote, Mro-inhabited areas of Alikadam’s Kurukpata Union over the past two weeks.