Bangladesh’s measles crisis deepens despite mass vaccination efforts, with over 1,000 children dead

Despite an emergency vaccination campaign reaching 18 million children, Bangladesh faces its deadliest measles outbreak in recent history, with more than 1,000 fatalities and ongoing transmission.

Bangladesh’s measles outbreak has now killed more than 1,000 children, according to health authorities, making it one of the deadliest episodes of the disease in the country’s recent history. Officials said the outbreak, first declared in March, has continued to expand even after a large emergency vaccination drive, with the number of reported cases still climbing.

The Directorate General of Health Services said 1,002 children had died out of 187,484 recorded cases. Zahid Raihan, a spokesman for the directorate, said more than 18 million children had been vaccinated through emergency immunisation campaigns launched since the spring, but added that the effort had fallen short of the level needed to stop transmission. He said around 4 million children did not take part in the campaigns.

The World Health Organisation says measles remains one of the most contagious vaccine-preventable diseases and can spread rapidly where immunisation levels are too low. In a global update last year, the agency said measles cases surged to an estimated 10.3 million in 2023, a rise of 20% from 2022, and stressed that about 95% vaccination coverage is needed to prevent outbreaks. The WHO also said more than 22 million children missed their first dose of measles vaccine in 2023.

In Bangladesh, the outbreak has prompted renewed action. In April, the government, with support from UNICEF, the WHO and Gavi, launched an emergency measles-rubella campaign aimed at more than 1.2 million children aged six months to five years in 18 high-risk districts. UNICEF said the drive was designed to close serious immunity gaps, particularly among zero-dose and under-vaccinated children, while WHO urged parents and carers to take children to vaccination centres. Despite that response, officials said the country has not yet reached collective protection, and health workers are still reporting fresh cases and hospital admissions.