Bangladesh Measles Crisis Deepens; Suspected Cases Cross 2,22,552
Dhaka, October 26: Bangladesh's measles outbreak is deepening, with the number of suspected cases now exceeding 2,22,552. Six more children died on Monday, raising the year's measles death toll to 1,233.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported the new deaths for the 24-hour period ending Monday morning. All six have been recorded as suspected measles cases.
The confirmed death toll has held steady at 104, while suspected deaths have risen to 1,129. Within the same 24-hour window, 1,388 new suspected cases were added, and 78 new cases were confirmed. The total confirmed case count now stands at 23,478.
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed the crisis on government negligence and the breakdown of a long-standing immunisation system. Speaking to a media outlet earlier this month, she argued that decisions taken during the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus disrupted vaccine procurement and widened gaps in coverage.
Hasina stated that the measles-rubella vaccine stock was exhausted in March 2026. Immunisation coverage then declined sharply, she said, and additional vaccination campaigns were not begun on time. She also faulted the current government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of the BNP, for not doing enough once the severity of the outbreak was evident.
"More than one thousand children have died from a disease that could have been prevented. This is not just an ordinary administrative failure," she said.
Hasina has urged authorities to guarantee continuous vaccine supply, run targeted campaigns for vulnerable communities, establish real-time disease surveillance, strengthen child health facilities, and order an independent inquiry into procurement and vaccination irregularities.
Bangladesh restarted vaccine procurement through UNICEF in April and launched an emergency vaccination programme. Health specialists, however, caution that the speed of transmission means containment will take time.
Earlier this month, Dr. Benazir Ahmed, former director of disease control at the DGHS, said the infection was spreading very fast and that the epidemic could take a while to bring under control. Last month, public health experts linked the resurgence to earlier vaccination gaps and hospital weaknesses, such as delays in identifying infected children and failures to isolate them promptly.
Public health expert Mushtuq Hussain said children generally require three to four weeks after vaccination to develop adequate immunity. He added that the present wave of infections, hospitalisations and deaths may continue for at least one more month.