MEASLES DEATHS IN BANGLADESH EXCEED 1,000 AS OUTBREAK CONTINUES

At least 1,002 children have died from measles in Bangladesh since the outbreak began in March, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The country has recorded 187,484 measles infections during the same period. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that Bangladesh is experiencing the world's largest measles outbreak. Health officials have acknowledged that failures in the vaccination drive may have contributed to the crisis.

Measles is a highly contagious disease spread through coughs and sneezes that causes fever and a distinctive rash. The disease has no specific treatment once contracted, and severe cases can lead to brain swelling and breathing problems. Children under five accounted for more than 80 per cent of cases early in the outbreak. A nationwide emergency vaccination drive launched in April has vaccinated 18 million children, according to DGHS spokesman Zahid Raihan. Health authorities report they are searching for children who remain unvaccinated.

The World Health Organisation and UNICEF have linked the outbreak to gaps in Bangladesh's immunisation programme that emerged during 2024 and 2025 following political turmoil. Health Minister Sardar Husain told parliament that changes to procurement policy during that period created a vaccine shortage. Professor Mahmudur Rahman, former director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Dhaka, told Reuters that Bangladesh had never previously witnessed such high numbers of measles deaths or cases in a single year. Officials continue vaccination efforts to reach remaining unvaccinated children.