Bangladesh measles outbreak kills 1,201 children as hospitals buckle

More than 214,000 suspected cases have been recorded since mid-March, exposing gaps in immunisation and access to care as an emergency vaccination campaign expands.

Bangladesh’s health authorities say the country’s measles outbreak has now left 1,201 children dead since mid-March, underscoring the scale of a crisis that has strained hospitals and forced an emergency vaccination drive. According to the Directorate General of Health Services, 1,097 of the deaths were among children with measles-like symptoms and 104 were among children diagnosed with measles.

The same figures show that 190,663 people with suspected measles were admitted to hospital during the period, with 183,042 discharged after recovering. Authorities said the total number of suspected cases had reached 214,551, while confirmed infections stood at 23,157. In the previous 24 hours alone, officials recorded 1,307 suspected cases and 35 confirmed cases.

Reuters reported earlier this year that Bangladesh’s outbreak had already prompted a nationwide review ordered by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, after the health ministry reported 674 cases by 30 March. UNICEF later said the outbreak was disrupting routine health services, with staff diverted to response efforts, and warned that children under five accounted for the bulk of cases and deaths. The agency said the crisis has exposed weaknesses in routine immunisation and access to care, especially in harder-to-reach areas.

An emergency vaccination campaign began in March, first targeting children aged six months to five years before being widened across the country. Measles is highly contagious and can cause pneumonia and encephalopathy, a serious brain inflammation, making it one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths worldwide. Health experts cited by local media have pointed to falling immunisation coverage, child malnutrition and delayed treatment as key factors behind the surge.