Once close to eliminating measles, Bangladesh is facing its worst outbreak on record, with 999 suspected and confirmed deaths reported since March as hospitals struggle to cope with a surge of sick children.
The prolonged outbreak, despite a nationwide emergency vaccination campaign launched in April, follows disruption to routine immunization in 2024 and 2025, experts said, when the country was going through political turmoil after a deadly uprising against then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh is currently experiencing the biggest measles outbreak in the world, according to a list on the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Health officials and experts said missed vaccinations and vaccine supply problems as a result of the political upheaval had left children vulnerable, particularly infants under nine months who are too young to get routine vaccinations, helping fuel transmission across age groups.
Since the outbreak emerged in March, Bangladesh has recorded more than 166,000 suspected measles cases, including 19,835 laboratory-confirmed infections, according to Health Ministry data.
