Bangladesh’s measles outbreak continued to worsen as seven more children died in 24 hours till 8am Thursday, raising the total death toll to 488 since March 15, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Of the latest deaths, four were classified as suspected measles-related fatalities while three were laboratory-confirmed, the bulletin said.

Chittagong recorded the highest number of deaths among reporting areas.

Since March 15, the country has recorded 405 suspected measles deaths and 83 confirmed deaths.

During the same period, 1,423 new suspected measles cases were reported, taking the total number of suspected infections to 59,279.

During the same period, 208 new confirmed measles cases were detected, raising the cumulative number of confirmed infections to 8,275.

According to the bulletin, 46,407 suspected measles patients have been admitted to hospitals since March 15, while 42,336 patients have been discharged after recovery.