39 children hospitalised at CMCH with measles, pneumonia symptoms; 4 in critical condition
They plan to prepare Ward No 8, which will have the capacity to treat an additional 60 to 70 children
The number of children with symptoms of measles and pneumonia has continued to rise at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, with the facility's authorities saying that 39 children are currently admitted as of this noon (1 April).
Among them, four are in critical condition and are receiving treatment in the paediatric intensive care unit.
To handle the growing pressure, the hospital authorities are planning to prepare Ward No 8 to have the capacity to treat an additional 60 to 70 children, CMCH Director Brig Gen Mohammed Taslim Uddin told The Business Standard.
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According to hospital data, four children have so far been confirmed with measles at CMCH; all of them have recovered after treatment and returned home.
Meanwhile, a five-month-old infant, Aysha Siddika, from Cox's Bazar Sadar upazila, died yesterday morning while undergoing treatment for symptoms of measles. She had been brought to CMCH in critical condition the previous night and admitted directly to the paediatric intensive care unit.
Chattogram Civil Surgeon Dr Jahangir Alam said samples from children admitted with symptoms of measles and pneumonia have been collected and sent to Dhaka for testing through the World Health Organization.
He added that 41 samples were collected from the metropolitan area and 50 from 15 upazilas in the district.
So far, eight measles cases have been confirmed in Chattogram. Of them, four have been or are being treated at CMCH, one at Chattogram Maa-O-Shishu Hospital, one at the district general hospital and two at upazila-level facilities.
