Bangladesh is grappling with what health experts describe as its worst measles outbreak on record, despite having previously made significant progress toward eliminating the disease.
Since March, 999 suspected and confirmed measles-related deaths have been reported, while hospitals face severe overcrowding, shortages of essential supplies and a steady stream of children requiring treatment.
The outbreak has persisted despite a nationwide emergency vaccination drive launched in April. Health experts attributed the crisis partly to interruptions in routine immunisation during 2024 and 2025, a period marked by political unrest following a deadly uprising that led to the departure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to a list published on the website of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bangladesh is now experiencing the world’s largest measles outbreak.
Health officials and specialists said interruptions to vaccination programmes, coupled with problems securing vaccine supplies during the political upheaval, left large numbers of children without adequate protection. Infants younger than nine months, who are below the age for routine measles vaccination, are particularly vulnerable, allowing the virus to spread among different age groups.
Health Ministry figures show that more than 166,000 suspected measles cases have been reported since the outbreak began in March. Of those, 19,835 have been confirmed through laboratory testing. The outbreak has been associated with 999 deaths, including 100 confirmed measles deaths, while more than 146,000 people with suspected infections have required hospitalisation.
Experts have also cited shortcomings in programme supervision, monitoring and changes to vaccine procurement procedures under the interim administration that took over after Hasina’s departure. According to them, the disruptions affected vaccine availability and contributed to the growing number of unprotected children.
Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain told parliament on Monday that changes to the procurement process resulted in a shortage of vaccines. He also said the postponement of a vaccination programme in 2024 and the cancellation of a nationwide measles-rubella campaign the following year increased the number of children vulnerable to infection.
The World Health Organization, UNICEF and other health organisations have similarly highlighted interruptions to routine immunisation. Children below the age of five represented roughly 80% of cases during the initial phase of the outbreak.
The resurgence comes after years of progress in Bangladesh’s fight against measles. For much of the previous decade, the country maintained vaccination coverage at or above the 95% level recommended by the WHO, although coverage fell during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Bangladesh missed its measles elimination target because of vaccination gaps in 2024 and 2025,” said Professor Mahmudur Rahman, an epidemiologist and former director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research.
“To my knowledge, Bangladesh has never witnessed so many children dying from measles. Nor have we ever seen such a high number of patients in a single year. This is a truly terrible situation, and the saddest part is that the victims are children,” he said.
Rahman said authorities needed to urgently close gaps in immunity, expand vaccination coverage and intensify public education efforts to bring the outbreak under control.
The country’s hospitals are also dealing with the additional strain created by a growing dengue outbreak, making it increasingly difficult for the health system to absorb the surge in measles patients.
Health Ministry data indicate that more than 45,000 people have been hospitalised with dengue this year. On Tuesday, dengue deaths reached nine, while 1,571 new admissions were recorded, making both figures the highest daily totals so far this year.
“Patients are pouring in, and it is very difficult to accommodate everyone,” said Dr. Nanda Dulal Saha, acting director of the state-run Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka, adding the hospital currently had 60 beds for measles patients, but many were being treated on the floor.
Saha said the shortage of paediatric saline, which can help ease some of the symptoms associated with measles, was adding to the difficulties faced by medical staff.
The hospital was designed to accommodate 1,350 patients but is currently treating more than 2,350, according to Saha.
For affected families, the outbreak has brought prolonged anxiety, repeated attempts to find hospital care and rising medical expenses.
Nasima Begum, 35, who works as a house help, said her 13-month-old son contracted measles almost two months ago. After four hospitals failed to provide a bed, the child was eventually admitted elsewhere and discharged after 10 days. However, he continues to experience recurring fever and has not yet made a full recovery.
Begum said her son had missed his vaccination because he was ill. When the family later returned to the vaccination centre, they were informed that the vaccine was not available. Her four older children, however, had received their routine vaccinations.
Mohammad Ripon, a factory worker, said his eight-month-old daughter developed a rash and other symptoms resembling measles several days after leaving hospital. The family visited several medical facilities before eventually seeking help at a hospital specialising in measles cases.
“We are just hopping around from one hospital to another,” Ripon said. “We are not getting the correct information at all.”
Bangladesh’s emergency measles-rubella vaccination programme was designed to reach around 18 million children between six months and five years of age. Health Ministry data show that more than 19.7 million children have since received vaccinations, but experts maintain that the country must strengthen routine immunisation and conduct additional catch-up campaigns.
The simultaneous outbreaks of measles and dengue, a mosquito-borne disease whose spread is associated with warmer temperatures and urbanisation, are exposing the pressure on Bangladesh’s healthcare system. The crises highlight the difficulty of maintaining routine health services while responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases that can largely be prevented.
Measles remains among the world’s most contagious diseases and commonly produces fever followed by a distinctive rash. However, infection can be prevented through two doses of an effective vaccine.
“We are poor and cannot afford treatment. I only pray that my son recovers,” Begum said. “I don’t want any other mother to see her child suffer or die from this disease.”
