Bangladesh Measles Outbreak: 9 More Deaths Reported, Toll Reaches 1,09

Dhaka: Bangladesh is grappling with an unprecedented measles outbreak, with nine more children dying from symptoms of the disease in the 24 hours up to 8 am Sunday, local media reports said. This has taken the total number of deaths in 2026 linked to confirmed and suspected measles cases to 1,096.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), all nine deaths recorded during the period were classified as suspected cases.

According to a report by United News of Bangladesh (UNB), the latest fatalities have taken the total number of suspected measles-related deaths to 995, while the number of confirmed deaths remains at 101.

1,228 New Suspected Cases Reported

During the 24-hour period, Bangladesh recorded 1,228 new suspected measles cases, taking the country's total number of suspected cases to 188,041.

According to the UNB report, 113 new laboratory-confirmed measles cases were also recorded during the same period, taking the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 21,212.

Over 166,000 Patients Admitted to Hospitals

According to the DGHS, since March 15, a total of 166,310 patients with suspected measles symptoms have been admitted to hospitals across Bangladesh. Of these, 159,519 patients have recovered from the disease.

GCDG Calls 2026 Outbreak a Major Public Health Crisis

As measles cases continue to rise rapidly in Bangladesh, a prominent international advocacy group recently described the 2026 outbreak as one of the worst public health crises in the country's recent history. The group also stressed that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease.

The Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG), in its report titled “Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh’s 2026 Measles Outbreak”, said that although the outbreak may have appeared sudden to the public, it was not an unexpected event from an “epidemiological perspective.”

Report Cites Disruptions in Vaccine Supply and Health Programmes

The report said the crisis emerged as a result of disruptions in vaccine supplies and health programmes during 2024-2025 under the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

It also cited missed routine vaccinations, cancellation of scheduled supplementary immunisation programmes, administrative delays in vaccine procurement and failures to identify at-risk groups in time as factors responsible for the crisis.

According to GCDG, Bangladesh had long procured World Health Organization (WHO)-approved vaccines through the international supply chain of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). However, the interim government changed this system and initiated procurement through an “open tender” process.

Citing UNICEF, the report said the agency had repeatedly warned the interim government about the potential shortage of vaccines through five to six formal letters and around 10 meetings between 2024 and 2026.