Measles outbreak kills more than 500 children in Bangladesh

A measles outbreak in Bangladesh has killed more than 500 children, government data showed, marking the country's deadliest surge in decades of the preventable disease.



Hospitals in the capital Dhaka have been overwhelmed with cases and have set up dedicated wards to take patients, but are scrambling with a shortage of intensive care beds.



Deaths are still rising, with 13 children dying in the past 24 hours alone, taking the toll from the disaster to 512, according to health department figures since Mar 15.



The South Asian nation has rolled out a mass vaccination drive to combat the outbreak, and UNICEF country chief Rana Flowers said this week that the campaign has now reached 18 million children.