Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign after a fast-spreading measles outbreak is suspected of killing more than 100 people, mostly children, in what may be the country's most lethal wave of the disease in recent history.
The campaign, which began on Sunday, comes amid more than 7,500 suspected measles cases since 15 March, according to health ministry data. More than 900 of these cases have been confirmed - a sharp increase from 2025, when just 125 measles cases were recorded over the entire year.
While Bangladesh has long vaccinated children against the highly contagious disease, the recent outbreak has exposed gaps in its programme, raising concern. Vaccines are foundational to child survival, Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the current measles outbreak was putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk.
In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, routine measles vaccines are given to children as young as nine months old. But Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, told BBC Bangla that about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak were under nine months old.
The infections of these young infants who are not yet eligible for routine vaccination, are especially alarming, Flowers said. Aside from routine vaccinations, Bangladesh conducts special measles vaccination campaigns every four years. However, there have been no such campaigns since 2020, first due to Covid and then because of the political situation.
Bangladesh experienced political upheaval in 2024, when massive anti-government protests toppled the long-ruling leader Sheikh Hasina. An interim government took over after Hasina's ousting, and only in February this year did the country elect a new government. A measles vaccination campaign was supposed to be held in April this year, but it did not happen. Health officials have attributed procurement issues that led to vaccine shortages to the previous government.
Despite a strong history of high immunization coverage, UNICEF warns that even small disruptions can lead to significant immunity gaps over time. In collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, Bangladesh has reinitiated its vaccination efforts targeting over 1.2 million children aged six months to five years. The campaign will prioritize those who missed routine immunizations, especially in densely populated areas like Dhaka and refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Additionally, health authorities are launching educational campaigns to raise awareness about measles prevention.
The campaign, which began on Sunday, comes amid more than 7,500 suspected measles cases since 15 March, according to health ministry data. More than 900 of these cases have been confirmed - a sharp increase from 2025, when just 125 measles cases were recorded over the entire year.
While Bangladesh has long vaccinated children against the highly contagious disease, the recent outbreak has exposed gaps in its programme, raising concern. Vaccines are foundational to child survival, Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the current measles outbreak was putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk.
In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, routine measles vaccines are given to children as young as nine months old. But Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, told BBC Bangla that about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak were under nine months old.
The infections of these young infants who are not yet eligible for routine vaccination, are especially alarming, Flowers said. Aside from routine vaccinations, Bangladesh conducts special measles vaccination campaigns every four years. However, there have been no such campaigns since 2020, first due to Covid and then because of the political situation.
Bangladesh experienced political upheaval in 2024, when massive anti-government protests toppled the long-ruling leader Sheikh Hasina. An interim government took over after Hasina's ousting, and only in February this year did the country elect a new government. A measles vaccination campaign was supposed to be held in April this year, but it did not happen. Health officials have attributed procurement issues that led to vaccine shortages to the previous government.
Despite a strong history of high immunization coverage, UNICEF warns that even small disruptions can lead to significant immunity gaps over time. In collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, Bangladesh has reinitiated its vaccination efforts targeting over 1.2 million children aged six months to five years. The campaign will prioritize those who missed routine immunizations, especially in densely populated areas like Dhaka and refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Additionally, health authorities are launching educational campaigns to raise awareness about measles prevention.
