At least 50 to 60 students of Muladuli High School in Ishwardi upazila, Pabna, fell ill on Wednesday afternoon after a suspected toxic gas or chemical exposure in a classroom. The incident occurred during class hours in the girls’ section, prompting teachers to rush the affected students to Ishwardi Upazila Health Complex. Doctors confirmed that all students are now out of danger and receiving treatment.

According to school sources, the incident began when a sixth-grade student entered the classroom with a small container that later broke on the floor, releasing a strong odor. Soon after, many students experienced headaches, breathing difficulties, weakness, vomiting, and convulsions. Fire service officials suggested that a pungent or toxic gas might have caused the reaction, though investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause.

Local administration, health officials, and fire service teams are jointly investigating the incident. Lawmaker Professor Abu Taleb Mondal visited the hospital and instructed authorities to prioritize the students’ recovery and uncover the cause of the poisoning.

Authorities in Uzirpur upazila of Barishal have decided to prohibit the sale of harmful steroids without a doctor’s prescription ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha and the seasonal livestock markets. The decision was taken during a monthly development and law and order meeting held at the upazila parishad conference room on Wednesday morning, chaired by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Ali Suja.

The meeting stated that the restriction aims to prevent misuse of steroids and other drugs used for fattening sacrificial animals, which pose health risks to humans. Officials warned that legal action would be taken against anyone violating the directive. The administration also announced strict measures to ensure that only genuine farmers can supply paddy under the government’s Boro rice procurement program, warning against political or illegal interference.

Officials from various departments, law enforcement, and local representatives attended the meeting, where participants also called for collective efforts to make Uzirpur free from drugs, terrorism, and extortion.

A report by Dr. Sheikh Sadiul Islam, published on May 13, 2026, highlights that prolonged mobile phone use is causing increased pressure on the neck, a condition known as 'text neck syndrome'. The article notes that around 65–70 percent of people experience neck pain at some point in their lives, and 20–30 percent of adults suffer from it annually. The problem is growing rapidly among young people due to extended use of mobile phones and computers.

The report explains that when the head tilts forward, the effective weight on the neck increases significantly—from about 12 kilograms at a 15-degree tilt to as much as 25–27 kilograms at 60 degrees. This added strain can lead to chronic pain, stiffness, headaches, nerve compression, and cervical spine degeneration. Many young patients are now seeking medical help for such conditions.

To prevent these issues, the article advises maintaining proper posture, holding the phone at eye level, taking regular breaks, exercising the neck and shoulders, and avoiding high pillows during sleep.

Three people have died in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha after being bitten by a stray dog, reportedly due to a shortage of rabies vaccines at government hospitals. The victims were among 13 people, including two children and two women, who were seriously injured in separate attacks on April 22 in Konchibari and Chaparhati unions. Families alleged that delays in obtaining vaccines from private pharmacies allowed the virus to spread, leading to the deaths.

The deceased were identified as Nanda Rani, Phulu Mia, and mason Ratneshwar Kumar, who died between May 6 and May 8. Another victim, Afroza Begum, has been sent to Dhaka in critical condition, while nine others remain under treatment. Local residents said fear has gripped the area due to the lack of vaccines in public hospitals. Union council member Tajrul Islam stated that timely treatment could have prevented the deaths.

Upazila health officer Dibakar Basak said funds have been allocated to purchase 30 rabies vaccines this month and advised immediate wound cleaning and vaccination after animal bites.

A seven-month-old baby named Hossain died on Tuesday morning in Hariharpur village of Ashtamanisha Union under Bhangura upazila in Pabna after a lychee seed got stuck in his throat. According to police and local residents, the child was sitting in the yard where other children were eating lychees. He put a lychee seed in his mouth, which became lodged in his throat, causing him to lose consciousness. His father removed the seed by hand and rushed him to the upazila health complex, where doctors declared him dead.

Dr. Kaushik, the residential medical officer at the health complex, said the child was brought in dead and that the seed had blocked his airway, leading to suffocation. Officer-in-Charge Safiul Azam stated that an unnatural death case was filed at the police station. Following a request from the family, the body was handed over to relatives without an autopsy.

The incident has caused grief in the local community, highlighting the dangers of small objects for infants.

A joint operation was carried out at Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) to ensure safe food for students. The drive, conducted on Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., involved the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, and the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority. Five establishments were fined a total of 16,000 taka under the Consumer Rights Act for various irregularities.

The inspection, initiated at the request of RUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. S. M. Abdur Razzak, found violations including poor hygiene, expired food storage, and use of unauthorized food colors. Fatik Jolk was fined 3,000 taka, while Charu Adda, Bytes and Brew Life Bakery, and the RUET Cafeteria were each fined 2,000 taka. Bangla Tiffin Canteen received a 7,000 taka fine for insect contamination, and banned packaging materials were seized from Shahidul’s Tong.

Officials said the campaign aimed to improve food quality on campus and would continue. Some students welcomed the initiative but expressed concern about maintaining consistent monitoring and food standards.

According to the World Health Organization, there are about 29 million nurses worldwide, yet a global shortage of 4.5 million nurses could emerge by 2030. In Bangladesh, the ratio of doctors to nurses remains far below international standards, with 1.1 nurses per doctor instead of the recommended three. The country currently has 153,613 registered nurses, including midwives, compared to 123,853 doctors, 12,940 dentists, and 30,795 medical technologists.

Bangladesh has 6.6 nurses per 10,000 patients, significantly lower than Nepal’s 40.9 and the Maldives’ 50.2. Within South Asia, only Pakistan and Afghanistan have fewer nurses. Despite growing interest in nursing, the number of professionals remains insufficient to meet national demand. The Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council reports 464 nursing institutes and colleges, up from 87 in 2010, but only 44,858 nurses are employed in government service.

Experts suggest that focusing on specialized training in areas such as ICU and operating theater nursing could help Bangladesh tap into the global market for skilled nurses while strengthening its own healthcare system.

Two anti-tobacco organizations in Bangladesh have proposed a significant increase in cigarette prices to protect young people from tobacco-related harm and reduce premature deaths. The proposal, presented on May 11 at the National Press Club by the National Heart Foundation and the United Forum Against Tobacco, calls for setting the retail price per cigarette between 17 and 35 taka.

The proposal divides cigarettes into four price tiers to both reduce tobacco use and increase government revenue. Under the plan, premium cigarettes would cost 200 taka per 10-stick pack, with excise and specific taxes raising the per-stick price to 35 taka. The high tier would rise to 150 taka per pack, or about 25.45 taka per stick, while medium and low tiers would each be priced at 100 taka per pack, making the lowest per-stick price 17.01 taka.

Health experts at the event said smoking is a major cause of cancer and other serious diseases in Bangladesh. They urged the government to consider these proposals in the upcoming budget to help build a tobacco-free nation.

A 10-year-old boy named Yasin Mia died after choking on a lychee in Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur on Monday evening. The incident occurred around 7 p.m. in the Doyail Union area. Yasin was the son of Shahin Mia. According to family and hospital sources, the child was eating lychees when one became lodged in his throat, causing breathing difficulties. Family members rushed him to the Upazila Health Complex, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead upon arrival.

Dr. Debashish Rajbanshi, the Sarishabari Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, confirmed the death. The report was published on May 11, 2026, by local media. No further details about the incident or subsequent actions were provided in the source.

The incident highlights the risk of choking hazards among children, though the report did not mention any official warnings or preventive measures following the event.

State Minister for Health Professor Dr. M A Muhit has urged pharmaceutical companies not to raise medicine prices arbitrarily, emphasizing the need to keep essential drugs affordable for the general public. He made the remarks on Monday afternoon at a stakeholder consultation meeting on strengthening the health sector, held at a hotel in Dhaka. The event was jointly organized by the Health Services Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the World Bank.

Dr. Muhit stressed the importance of a balanced policy for drug pricing, noting that while pharmaceutical companies need profits, sudden and frequent price increases harm both citizens and the government. He said the new government, formed just two and a half months ago after a long period of public unrest, has inherited a fragile health system marked by poor maintenance, equipment shortages, and medicine scarcity in hospitals.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring basic healthcare and life-saving drugs for all citizens, calling for collective efforts between the public and private sectors to overcome current challenges.

Health Minister Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul announced that all 50-bed hospitals in the country’s upazilas will gradually be upgraded to 100-bed facilities. He said the government is working tirelessly to ensure quality healthcare reaches rural communities. The minister made the announcement during an unannounced visit to the Rajair Upazila Health Complex in Madaripur on Monday, May 11, 2026.

During the visit, the minister inspected the emergency department, male and female wards, operation theater, storeroom, and outpatient section. He reviewed medical services, patient attendance, medicine supply, and the duties of doctors and nurses. He also spoke with patients and their relatives to gather feedback on service quality and urged doctors to be more attentive to patients.

Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul assured that necessary steps will be taken to further improve the services at Rajair Upazila Health Complex and mentioned that the government is implementing long-term plans for the overall development of the health sector.

A five-member medical delegation from the Chinese government visited the Puthia Upazila Health Complex in Rajshahi on Monday morning. The team arrived around 11:30 a.m. and spent about an hour inspecting various departments, including patient services and hospital infrastructure. Their visit focused on evaluating the existing facilities and healthcare management at the complex.

According to hospital sources, the visit was part of an assessment related to the proposed 1,000-bed Bangladesh-China Friendship Hospital. The delegation, comprising medical experts Chen Xiuwen, Zhao Yannan, Li Hong Kun, Liu Jun, and Dong Li, discussed patient load, bed capacity, medical equipment, and future expansion possibilities. They also toured the wards and emergency department.

During the visit, several local health officials, including Dr. Habibur Rahman and Dr. S.I.M. Rajiul Karim, were present. The Chinese team also attended a project-related meeting at the Rajshahi Divisional Health Office and later participated in a separate program at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

At a press conference in Dhaka, physicians and public health experts called for a significant increase in tobacco product prices in Bangladesh’s upcoming 2026–27 national budget. The event, organized by the United Forum Against Tobacco and the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, emphasized that higher tobacco prices could reduce consumption, lower health risks, and prevent premature deaths linked to tobacco use.

Speakers noted that about 37.8 million adults in Bangladesh currently use tobacco, causing around 200,000 premature deaths annually. Tobacco-related diseases account for roughly 14 percent of total deaths, and the economic cost of tobacco-related health and environmental damage is estimated at 870 billion taka per year—more than double the revenue earned from the tobacco sector. The doctors proposed setting the retail price of a 10-stick cigarette pack at 100 taka for low and medium tiers, adding a 4-taka specific tax per pack, and raising prices for high and premium tiers to 150 and 200 taka respectively.

Experts argued that simplifying the complex four-tier tax structure would discourage smoking among youth and low-income groups while generating over 850 billion taka in revenue to strengthen the health sector and combat non-communicable diseases.

Bangladesh Health Minister Sardar Md. Shakhawat Hossain has directed authorities to conduct operations to detain brokers operating inside hospitals. He issued the order during an inspection of Barishal Sadar Hospital and other facilities on Monday morning. The minister also suspended an employee for absence, expressed dissatisfaction over the state of outpatient services, and instructed hospital authorities to maintain cleanliness within 24 hours.

During his visit, the minister said that those who have received the measles vaccine will develop immunity within four weeks, after which the situation is expected to normalize. He noted that the government aims to ensure healthcare for all and plans to fully open the Barishal Children’s Hospital within three to four months. He added that the measles outbreak worsened because the vaccination schedule was disrupted after 2020, but new vaccine supplies have now reduced patient numbers.

The minister inspected Barishal Sadar Hospital, the Children’s Hospital in Amanatganj, and Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital as part of his visit.

A 2025 study by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh has revealed that nearly two-thirds of processed packaged foods sold in the country contain salt levels exceeding safe limits. The research, titled “Assessment of Salt Content and Label Compliance of Commonly Consumed Processed Packaged Foods of Bangladesh,” found that about 97 percent of these products pose high health risks. Items such as biscuits, chips, noodles, and instant soups were found to contain excessive sodium, sugar, and harmful chemicals that increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Public health experts attribute the growing dependence on such foods to aggressive marketing, especially targeting children with colorful packaging and promotional gifts. They warn that these products are engineered to trigger temporary pleasure in the brain, leading to addiction and reduced interest in nutritious home-cooked meals. Experts have called for the introduction of Front-of-Pack Labeling (FOPL) to clearly display warnings about high salt, sugar, or fat content.

Officials from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator have supported stronger labeling laws and public awareness campaigns to curb rising non-communicable diseases linked to unhealthy diets.