Bangladesh Launches Measles Vaccination Drive As Child Death Toll Passes 100

Bangladesh is battling its worse bales outbreak successful years, pinch much than 100 children dormant amid a emergence successful unvaccinated infants.

The government, successful business pinch nan United Nations, has begun conducting an emergency measles-rubella vaccination thrust for children crossed nan country, aft much than 900 cases were confirmed since March.

Measles is simply a highly contagious airborne illness causing fever, respiratory symptoms and a characteristic rash and tin sometimes person terrible aliases fatal complications, particularly successful young children.

While immense gains person been made successful wide immunisation against measles, there has been a caller resurgence, attributed to falling vaccine rates, pinch much than 11m cases recorded globally successful 2024. There was a fatal outbreak successful nan UK this year, which killed 2 people, and states crossed nan US person besides been grappling pinch a deadly spread, pinch much than 2,000 cases registered successful 2025, nan worst successful 3 decades.

In Bangladesh, nan emergence successful cases that began successful March is nan worst nan southbound Asian state has knowledgeable for years. While Bangladesh has a kid immunisation programme for measles, the recently elected government said mismanagement by nan erstwhile regimes had led to programme gaps successful susceptible areas and a shortage of nan vaccine stockpiles. According to nan UN, 95% of nan organization has to beryllium vaccinated successful bid to extremity nan illness from spreading.

This month’s emergency thrust will attraction connected children aged six months to 5 years aged successful high-risk districts and will past beryllium expanded retired crossed nan country.

A diligent is treated astatine nan Infectious Diseases infirmary successful Dhaka, Bangladesh, amid a wide bales outbreak. Photograph: Drik/Getty

One-third of those affected are beneath nan property of 9 months, which is erstwhile they would usually beryllium eligible for a bales vaccine, which experts said showed a concerning spread successful nan programme.

“This resurgence highlights captious immunity gaps, peculiarly among zero-dose and under-vaccinated children, while infections among infants nether 9 months, who are not yet eligible for regular vaccination, are particularly alarming,” said Rana Flowers, nan typical for Unicef successful Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s recently appointed wellness minister, Sardar Mohammed Sakhawat Husain, told parliament connected Monday that nan governmental turmoil of Bangladesh complete nan past 2 years, aft nan toppling of premier curate Sheikh Hasina successful an uprising successful 2024, had led to disrupted vaccine procurement and a nonaccomplishment to behaviour nan accustomed bales vaccinations campaigns. The existent authorities only came to powerfulness successful elections successful February.

Authorities are advising parents to spell to hospitals whenever personification is suspected to person bales aliases moreover conscionable has a precocious temperature, alternatively than relying connected section pharmacies.

Since nan motorboat of a monolithic immunisation run successful 1979, Bangladesh has raised nan sum of afloat immunised children from conscionable 2% to 81.6%. However, experts person continued to pass that location are still stark discrepancies successful bales vaccine sum successful nan state of 170 cardinal people.

In a statement, Unicef said nan existent bales surge was caused by aggregate factors. “Bangladesh has a beardown history of precocious immunisation coverage, but moreover mini disruptions tin lead to nan gradual accumulation of immunity gaps complete time,” said nan organisation.