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, Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement on Sunday, 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, about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak were under nine months old, highlighting significant vulnerabilities. Official statements emphasize that the recent measles resurgence is due to accumulated gaps in immunization rather than a singular factor, underscoring the need for the current vaccination campaign that aims to reach over 1.2 million children.
The campaign will focus particularly on Dhaka, the densely populated capital, and Cox's Bazar, which houses crowded Rohingya refugee camps. In conjunction with these efforts, health authorities are also releasing educational materials to inform the public about measles symptoms and prevention.
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, Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement on Sunday, 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, about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak were under nine months old, highlighting significant vulnerabilities. Official statements emphasize that the recent measles resurgence is due to accumulated gaps in immunization rather than a singular factor, underscoring the need for the current vaccination campaign that aims to reach over 1.2 million children.
The campaign will focus particularly on Dhaka, the densely populated capital, and Cox's Bazar, which houses crowded Rohingya refugee camps. In conjunction with these efforts, health authorities are also releasing educational materials to inform the public about measles symptoms and prevention.
