At least 1,002 children have died from measles in Bangladesh as authorities struggle to contain an outbreak that has spread rapidly since March and exposed major gaps in the country’s vaccination programme.
The Directorate General of Health Services reported on Wednesday that 187,484 measles infections had been recorded since the outbreak began, while hospitals are treating children with serious complications and facing additional pressure from a simultaneous surge in dengue fever.
Bangladesh launched an emergency immunisation campaign as deaths mounted, vaccinating about 18 million children, but official figures indicate roughly four million were not reached.
The campaign initially focused on children aged six months to five years before expanding nationwide in phases with support from international health organisations.
Earlier in the outbreak, children under five accounted for more than 80 percent of cases.
WHO and UNICEF have linked the crisis to gaps in immunisation that emerged during recent years, including disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and political turmoil in 2024 and 2025.
Bangladesh’s health minister told parliament that changes to procurement policy during that period contributed to vaccine shortages.
WHO and UNICEF estimated that about 86 percent of Bangladeshi children received their recommended second measles vaccine dose last year, down from 93 percent in 2024.
Health authorities say vaccination teams are continuing efforts to locate children who were missed.
Medical facilities are treating large numbers of children suffering complications including pneumonia, diarrhoea and encephalitis, or brain swelling.
At Bangladesh Shishu Hospital in Dhaka, doctors have reported months of continuous pressure from measles patients.
The outbreak is further stretching the health system as Bangladesh simultaneously confronts rising dengue cases.
More than 45,000 people have been admitted with dengue, while Tuesday recorded the highest daily figures for both admissions and deaths from that disease.
Bangladesh’s current government has blamed earlier planning failures and political upheaval for vaccine shortages and reduced coverage, while former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Authorities are continuing vaccinations as they seek to reduce casualties and contain the outbreak.