Bangladesh Measles Outbreak Kills Over 1,000 Children Since March

The death toll from measles in Bangladesh topped 1,000 children since March, health officials said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh recorded 1,002 deaths and 187,484 infections among children, making this year’s outbreak the country’s deadliest in decades, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Eight-month-old Rojatun Jannat Ramisa is struggling to breathe in a hospital in Bangladesh's capital, one of thousands sickened by the outbreak. DGHS spokesman Zahid Raihan admitted that failures in a vaccination drive could have fueled the outbreak.

Health authorities rolled out a mass vaccination drive, vaccinating over 18 million children. However, Raihan stated, "We couldn’t achieve herd immunity." Official figures show about 4 million children were left out of the campaign. Health experts now say 22.6 million is the true target for vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Bangladesh had more measles cases than any other country from January to June this year, totaling 57,561.

On September 9, the toll for children who died from suspected or confirmed measles cases since March 15 passed 1,000. The prolonged outbreak follows disruption to routine immunization in 2024 and 2025 due to political turmoil. Experts blamed weak program oversight, insufficient monitoring, and procurement policy changes under the interim government for vaccine supply problems.

The measles crisis is stretching Bangladesh's healthcare system, which is also grappling with a surge in dengue fever cases. Nine people died from dengue on Tuesday alone, and 1,571 patients were admitted to hospitals. Since January, Bangladesh recorded 45,475 dengue cases and 130 deaths.