Bangladesh Launches Emergency Measles Vaccination After Over 100 Deaths

An emergency measles vaccination campaign has been launched in Bangladesh in response to a rapidly spreading outbreak that has been linked to over 100 deaths, mostly among children. This significant public health crisis, which has seen more than 7,500 suspected cases since 15th March, has exposed critical deficiencies in the nation's established immunisation efforts.

Alarming Rise in Cases

Official health ministry data indicates that over 900 of these cases have been confirmed, representing a sharp increase from the 125 cases recorded throughout the entirety of 2025. Unicef's representative in Bangladesh, Rana Flowers, expressed grave concern, stating that the outbreak is "putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk." Notably, approximately one-third of those affected are infants under nine months old, who are not yet eligible for routine vaccination, a factor Flowers described as "especially alarming."

Immunisation Programme Gaps

Despite Bangladesh's long-standing routine measles vaccination programme for children as young as nine months, the current resurgence highlights a breakdown in its supplementary campaigns. Special measles vaccination drives, typically conducted every four years, have been absent since 2020, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently due to the "political situation," according to Shahriar Sajjad, Deputy Director of the Health Department. A campaign scheduled for April this year also failed to materialise. Procurement issues have been cited as a contributing factor to vaccine shortages, with some attributing blame to the former interim government's new vaccine procurement system.

Emergency Response

In collaboration with international partners, including Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh's emergency campaign commenced on Sunday. It targets over 1.2 million children aged between six months and five years across 30 sub-districts, with a particular focus on those who have missed routine immunisation and are most vulnerable. The densely populated capital, Dhaka, and Cox's Bazar, home to crowded Rohingya refugee camps, are priority areas. Beyond the vaccination drive, health authorities are also distributing educational materials on measles identification and prevention.