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 programme, raising concern. Vaccines are foundational to child survival, stated Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, adding that the current measles outbreak was putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk.
In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, routine measles vaccines are given to children as young as nine months old. However, Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, noted that about one-third of those infected in this recent outbreak were under nine months old. The infections of these young infants, not yet eligible for routine vaccination, are particularly alarming, according to Flowers from Unicef.
On top of routine vaccinations, Bangladesh conducts special measles vaccination campaigns every four years. But these campaigns haven't gone according to plan due to interruptions from Covid and the political situation. Previous campaigns had been postponed, and a recent health official pointed to procurement issues resulting in vaccine shortages.
Amidst this crisis, the government, alongside international partners such as Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO), is prioritizing over 1.2 million children between six months and five years old in high-risk areas, particularly Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, which hosts crowded Rohingya refugee camps. Public health authorities are also launching educational initiatives to help communities identify and prevent measles.
Increasing evidence shows the measles outbreak is part of a troubling global trend, with decreasing vaccination rates leading to a resurgence of measles cases. The WHO has warned that if vaccination coverage does not improve, outbreaks will likely continue not only in Bangladesh but in various regions worldwide.
While Bangladesh has long vaccinated children against the highly contagious disease, the recent outbreak has exposed gaps in its programme, raising concern. Vaccines are foundational to child survival, stated Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, adding that the current measles outbreak was putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk.
In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, routine measles vaccines are given to children as young as nine months old. However, Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, noted that about one-third of those infected in this recent outbreak were under nine months old. The infections of these young infants, not yet eligible for routine vaccination, are particularly alarming, according to Flowers from Unicef.
On top of routine vaccinations, Bangladesh conducts special measles vaccination campaigns every four years. But these campaigns haven't gone according to plan due to interruptions from Covid and the political situation. Previous campaigns had been postponed, and a recent health official pointed to procurement issues resulting in vaccine shortages.
Amidst this crisis, the government, alongside international partners such as Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO), is prioritizing over 1.2 million children between six months and five years old in high-risk areas, particularly Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, which hosts crowded Rohingya refugee camps. Public health authorities are also launching educational initiatives to help communities identify and prevent measles.
Increasing evidence shows the measles outbreak is part of a troubling global trend, with decreasing vaccination rates leading to a resurgence of measles cases. The WHO has warned that if vaccination coverage does not improve, outbreaks will likely continue not only in Bangladesh but in various regions worldwide.
