Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign after a fast-spreading measles outbreak is suspected of killing more than 100 people, mostly children, in what may be the country's most lethal wave of the disease in recent history. The campaign, which began on Sunday, comes amid more than 7,500 suspected measles cases since 15 March, according to health ministry data.
More than 900 of these cases have been confirmed—a sharp increase from 2025, when just 125 measles cases were recorded over the entire year, local media report. While Bangladesh has long vaccinated children against the highly contagious disease, the recent outbreak has exposed gaps in its program, raising concern.
Vaccines are foundational to child survival, Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, stated. She highlighted that this outbreak puts thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk.
Why is there a spike in measles in Bangladesh?
In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million, routine measles vaccines are administered to children as young as nine months. However, Shahriar Sajjad, a deputy director of the Health Department, noted that about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak are under nine months old—an especially alarming fact as they are not yet eligible for routine vaccination.
Additionally, special vaccination campaigns have not occurred since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the political situation in the country. A health official mentioned procurement issues leading to vaccine shortages, which many have attributed to the previous interim government’s oversight of a new vaccine procurement system.
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can lead to severe complications and death. Common symptoms include high fever, sore eyes, cough, and sneezing. In 2024, around 95,000 people died from measles worldwide, predominantly children under five years.
The ongoing vaccination campaign, supported by international organizations like Unicef and the WHO, seeks to target over 1.2 million children aged six months to five years across 30 sub-districts. The effort will prioritize children who have missed routine vaccinations and are at greatest risk for severe illness.
As Bangladesh mobilizes to curb this outbreak, health authorities are also publishing materials to educate the public on recognizing and preventing measles, aiming to raise awareness and reinforce vaccination efforts across the country.
