A measles outbreak in Bangladesh has led to 15 confirmed deaths, officials said on Wednesday, as the government readies to launch an emergency immunisation programme as part of efforts to try to contain the disease. Health Services Division Secretary Kamruzzaman Chowdhury said the deaths were confirmed after laboratory testing of 33 samples, conducted with support from the World Health Organization. “Of the tested samples, 15 deaths have been directly linked to measles infection,” he said. Measles, among the most infectious of pathogens, requires that 95% of the population be vaccinated in order to prevent its spread. It has been breaking out across the world as vaccination rates had fallen, although now many parents are rushing to get their children immunised and in some places pediatric hospital wards are overwhelmed.

Full report : Fifteen deaths are confirmed after measles outbreak in Bangladesh.