Bangladesh’s health ministry reports that at least 98 children may have died from suspected measles in the past three weeks, prompting an intensified vaccination campaign in the most affected areas of the capital, Dhaka.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has tasked two senior ministers with traveling across the country—home to 170 million people—to evaluate the situation and help develop a coordinated response.
Official data released on Sunday revealed that the number of children aged six months to five years exhibiting suspected measles symptoms has climbed to 6,476.
Halimur Rashid, director of Communicable Disease Control, noted to the AFP news agency that both the number of affected children and fatalities have risen compared to previous years.
World Health Organization (WHO) data indicates that the highest recorded number of suspected cases occurred in 2005, with 25,934 cases. This figure had significantly decreased until now.
Rashid identified various factors contributing to the outbreak, including a vaccine shortage.
While there are 826 confirmed measles cases among young children, with 16 deaths, experts pointed out that testing often does not take place, and many patients succumb before they can be tested.
Measles is known as one of the most contagious diseases globally, spreading through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing. Although it can affect anyone, it predominantly impacts children and can lead to severe complications such as brain swelling or respiratory issues.
The WHO estimates that around 95,000 measles-related deaths occur worldwide each year, primarily among unvaccinated or undervaccinated children under five, based on their latest statistics.
Currently, there is no specific treatment for measles once contracted.
Bangladesh has made significant strides in vaccination efforts against infectious diseases, yet a planned measles vaccination drive set for June 2024 was postponed due to a violent uprising that year that led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Typically, most children in Bangladesh receive their first vaccine at nine months, although many of those affected in the recent outbreak were only six months old, according to officials.
Mahmudur Rahman, chief of the National Verification Committee of Measles and Rubella, acknowledged a commitment to reduce cases to zero by December 2025, but cited poor vaccination programs as a failure in achieving that goal.
Dhaka authorities have pinpointed 30 of the hardest-hit areas in the region and initiated a vaccination program there. Health Minister Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul mentioned that the vaccination efforts will target these “worst affected areas” before expanding further.
Public health expert Tajul Islam A Bari, a former official at the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, expressed concern over past funding allocated for vaccine purchases that had not yet been realized. “Now we see the result. The situation is scary,” Bari noted.
