Bangladesh Measles Outbreak: Over 1,147 Deaths Reported As Suspected Cases Exceed 202,000

Bangladesh is confronting a severe measles outbreak that has resulted in more than 202,000 suspected infections and 1,147 deaths since mid-March, according to a Japan Times report based on World Health Organisation (WHO) data.

Of the suspected cases, 22,000 received laboratory confirmation, while children under five represented 94 per cent of all reported deaths. These figures underline the disproportionate toll the outbreak has taken on younger children.

Inadequate routine immunisation has emerged as a major contributor to the crisis.

The WHO recommends maintaining vaccination coverage at 95 per cent or higher to prevent measles outbreaks.

WHO and UNICEF estimates placed Bangladesh’s first-dose vaccination coverage at 90 per cent in 2025, while the second dose reached only 86 per cent.

Experts have pointed to unreliable health records, insufficient vaccination outreach and a shortage of medical personnel.

UNICEF and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics reported that 40 per cent of children had not been registered.

Government figures indicated that approximately one-third of healthcare worker positions remained vacant.

The report documented the death of two-year-old Arman Hossain in the northeastern Sylhet region in July. His family sold their three-wheeled auto-rickshaw to pay for his hospital treatment, but the unvaccinated child died within 24 hours of admission.

Arman’s father said healthcare workers had not reached their remote village in time.

The outbreak intensified in September, when Bangladesh recorded an average of 1,198 new cases daily, marking the highest level since May.

Experts have called for vaccination campaigns to cover children above five years of age, who account for approximately one-third of measles cases.

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