Struggling Mother Faces Financial Crisis Amid Daughters Measles Treatment in Dhaka
Four-year-old Alo lies in a hospital bed at Dhaka’s Infectious Diseases Hospital, her small arm tethered to a cannula as she battles a severe rash that has spread across her head, throat, and torso. Beside her, her mother, Hashra Akter, provides constant, solitary care, struggling to manage her daughter's medical needs and expenses while navigating a precarious personal life.
Hashra, a cleaner at a private firm, earns 10,000 taka per month, an income already stretched thin by rent and the education expenses of her two older daughters. With no financial support from her husband—a van driver who struggles with addiction—Hashra has been forced to shoulder the costs of her daughter’s treatment alone. Over the past three days, the burden of purchasing medication has depleted her modest savings, leaving her uncertain about how she will cover the remaining duration of Alo's hospital stay.
Despite the family crisis, Hashra’s husband and his relatives, who reside in the same slum, have remained absent throughout the ordeal. Hashra remains steadfast in her commitment to her children, driven by a desire to provide them with the education she was denied. Having only completed the third grade herself, she is determined to ensure a better future for her daughters, even as she risks her own employment to stay by Alo’s side.
Health officials at the Infectious Diseases Hospital report that the influx of measles patients has begun to stabilize. Currently, 28 patients are being treated for the virus or related symptoms. Hospital superintendent F. A. Asma Khan noted that while the initial wave of infections saw a high rate of post-measles pneumonia, that trend is now subsiding. However, medical data indicates that children aged four to seven currently represent the most vulnerable demographic.
According to hospital records, seven new patients were admitted with measles symptoms in the last 24 hours, five of whom have been confirmed to have the disease. While eight patients were discharged after recovering, the facility remains a hub for those struggling with the virus, serving as a reminder of the ongoing health challenges facing low-income families in the capital.
