With more than 1,000 children dead amid a surge in measles cases, Bangladesh accelerates vaccination campaigns amidst warnings from WHO and UNICEF about declining coverage and the urgent need to restore herd immunity.
Bangladesh’s measles outbreak has now claimed 1,000 child lives, according to reporting from The Business Standard, as health officials continue to struggle to contain one of the country’s most serious paediatric health crises in years. The latest tally reflects a further rise in deaths over the past 24 hours, alongside a steady flow of new suspected and confirmed infections. Health authorities say the scale of the outbreak has been driven by gaps in immunisation, with young children bearing the heaviest burden.
The Directorate General of Health Services said 100 of the deaths have been confirmed as measles, while the rest were linked to measles-like symptoms. Officials also recorded hundreds of additional cases in the latest daily update, taking the total number of suspected illnesses and confirmed infections to very high levels. Bangladesh has also admitted more than 143,000 infected children to hospital since mid-March, with the vast majority recovering and being discharged, according to the health department.
The World Health Organisation has warned that the outbreak has spread widely across Bangladesh and that low vaccination coverage has left the country vulnerable after years of declining herd immunity. UNICEF Bangladesh has said routine measles-rubella coverage has slipped below the level needed to prevent sustained transmission, leaving millions of children susceptible. The agency and health officials have repeatedly pointed to the need for at least 95% coverage to block further spread.
Authorities have responded with large-scale immunisation efforts. Since 5 April, nearly 19.48 million children have received vaccines through a special campaign, in addition to routine inoculation, and a new nationwide drive is due to begin later this month, health minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said on Friday. But with the outbreak still widening, public health experts say the challenge now is not only to treat the sick, but to close the immunity gap before more children are exposed.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
