|| Special Correspondent: Health division officials on Sunday said that at least 44 children had died of measles across Bangladesh this year as new fatalities and previously unreported cases continued to emerge. Officials said that the death toll could rise further as complete data from all hospitals had not yet been compiled. At a programme, health minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said on Sunday that after an eight-year gap in measles vaccination campaigns, the government had now allocated Tk 6.04 billion to tackle a growing outbreak. 'The number of measles patients has increased significantly. The last measles vaccination was administered eight years ago. Since then, no government has carried out such a campaign. We have allocated Tk 6.04 billion. The purchase committee has approved it. Vaccines will be procured quickly, and the campaign will begin soon,' he said.He made the remarks while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the three-day 17th Asia Pharma Expo 2026 and Asia Lab Expo 2026, at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre at Rupganj in Narayanganj.In Dhaka, Infectious Diseases Hospital superintendent Tanzina Jahan said that three more children died in the past 24 hours until 8:00am Sunday, raising the total measles death toll at the hospital to 22. Another 45 children were undergoing treatment there.Directorate General of Health Services MIS director Abu Ahammad Al Mamun said that 10 children died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, while RMCH spokesperson Dr Shankar Kumar Biswas confirmed another death in the past 24 hours, with 28 children still undergoing treatment.Mymensingh divisional health director Pradip Kumar Saha said that five children died with measles symptoms in March, while over 150 suspected cases were treated and 56 confirmed having measles.He said that real-time data collection remained difficult as many hospitals were not reporting regularly. Three beds have been reserved in each hospital in the division to ensure treatment for measles patients.Chattogram divisional health director Sheikh Fazle Rabbi said that two measles outbreaks had been reported in the division, particularly in Cox's Bazar and Chandpur.Chittagong Medical College Hospital director Brigadier General Mohammed Taslim Uddin said that 12 children with measles symptoms were admitted to the hospital on Saturday and their samples had been sent to Dhaka for confirmation.The Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute in Dhaka reported six measles-related deaths this month.With hundreds of confirmed and suspected cases reported nationwide, hospitals are struggling to cope with the growing number of patients.Public health experts warned that disruptions in the national vaccination programme could trigger wider outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.Health officials and physicians said that the surge was closely linked to the halt to vaccination campaigns following the suspension of operational plans in the health sector over the past two years, which disrupted the Expanded Programme on Immunisation.EPI deputy director Md Shahriar Sajjad said that vaccines were available with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, although logistical and policy decisions were still pending.According to health experts, measles is often the first disease to resurge when vaccination systems weaken, exposing gaps in national immunisation programmes.Under World Health Organisation guidelines, measles follow-up campaigns are usually conducted every four years. Bangladesh last carried out a nationwide campaign in 2020 and had planned another in 2024, which was not implemented.Under the national immunisation schedule, children receive two doses of the measles-rubella vaccine at nine and 15 months, with about four million children requiring vaccination each year.Bangladesh initially aimed to eliminate measles by 2020, later extending the target to 2025 and then to 2026. However, the country is now witnessing a renewed surge in infections.Health officials said that vaccination activities had been severely disrupted since 2024 as the government shifted from the long-standing operational plan system to an umbrella approach under health sector reforms.Highlighting the situation on the ground, the health minister on Sunday also said that a recent visit to the Infectious Disease Hospital at Mohakhali in the capital Dhaka found the number of patients exceeding bed capacity, with a large portion of the patients being children affected by measles.He said that special preparations had been made nationwide, with ICU and ventilator support readied at facilities, including Dhaka North City Corporation wards, Infectious Disease Hospital, Children's Hospital and Dhaka Medical College Hospital.Referring to recent child deaths linked to ICU shortages at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, he said that five ventilators had been donated and would be sent there soon, while local pharmaceutical manufacturers were expected to supply more than 12 additional units.The minister stressed coordinated efforts to combat the crisis and warned that no corruption or irregularities would be tolerated in the health sector.'If we remain confined to planning instead of implementation, the country's progress will be hindered. Sustainable development will not be possible unless quality medicines reach people,' he added, expressing concern over the deaths of 33 children in measles in 11 days in Rajshahi.