Bangladesh: At least 38 children dead in measles outbreak

Bangladesh is facing a worse measles outbreak that has claimed at least 38 children this year, with health experts warning that gaps in vaccination coverage and widespread malnutrition are driving the surge in fatalities. According to health officials, 21 of the deaths occurred in March alone, though the actual toll could be higher due to incomplete reporting. The outbreak has spread across multiple districts, including Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi and Chattogram, placing severe pressure on already strained hospitals. The number could be even higher as the health authorities do not have comprehensive data on measles-related deaths.
Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain said that no measles vaccinations have been administered in the country over the past eight years, highlighting serious disruptions in immunisation programmes. The situation is particularly critical at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali, where a surge in cases has overwhelmed capacity. Hospitals nationwide are reporting overcrowding, bed shortages and rising complications, especially among malnourished children.
Health experts say the outbreak is being fuelled by declining vaccination rates, shortages of vaccines and field-level health workers, and the absence of a nationwide measles-rubella campaign since 2020. Stocks of multiple vaccines at central storage facilities have reportedly been depleted, raising concerns about further disease spread.  As most of the admitted measles patients were found to be unvaccinated, experts and health officials blamed gaps in immunisation.
Measles, one of the most contagious viral diseases, can infect 15-18 people from a single case. Doctors report that even infants below the vaccination age are being affected. Despite past success in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases, officials warn that without urgent intervention to restore immunisation coverage and address malnutrition, the outbreak could escalate further, leading to more child deaths.Doctors and health officials said the number of measles patients started to rise from December last year but increased sharply this month. Measles patients often develop pneumonia, diarrhoea, ear and brain infection; they often lose their immunity, and those with comorbidities are at higher risk of death.