2026 Bangladesh measles outbreak
| 2026 measles outbreak in Bangladesh | |
|---|---|
 Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tarique Rahman observing emergency measles-rubella vaccination drive in Bogura's Gabtali in April 2026. | |
_map.svg)   Municipalities and sub-districts designated as outbreak hotspots (As assessed by the MoHFW till 4 April 2026)Districts with active hotspots Districts with confirmed or suspected cases Districts with no reported cases | |
 Cases per 100,000 inhabitants by divisions (15 March — 12 May 2026) | |
| Disease | Measles |
| Pathogen | Measles morbillivirus (MV) |
| Location | Bangladesh |
| Date | Late February 2026 – present |
| Confirmed cases | 12,526 |
| Suspected cases | 1,04,693 |
| Hospitalized cases | 87,966 |
| Recovered | 84,218 |
Deaths | 731 (638 suspected cases) |
| Fatality rate | 6.11% (confirmed cases) 0.72% (suspected cases) 3.415% (all cases) |
In mid-March 2026, a measles outbreak started in Bangladesh.[1] According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), as of 21 June 2026, 680 have died with suspected measles symptoms, alongside 93 confirmed measles deaths, and 92,790 have been recorded with suspected measles symptoms, alongside 11,011 confirmed cases.[2] This led the government to start an emergency mass vaccination of children aged between 6 and 59 months.[3][4]
Background
[edit]Bangladesh has achieved significant progress in measles control by conducting mass immunization campaigns. Between 2014 and 2015, nationwide measles–rubella (MR) campaigns vaccinated over 50 million children. By the mid-2010s, more than 92% of children received the initial vaccine dose, and second-dose coverage surpassed 80%. The mortality rate of children aged under five due to measles declined rapidly over three decades.[5]
However, over the years, the programme became weak, irregular, and delayed. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the government's focus shifting towards COVID-19 vaccination, hampering the MR campaigns.[5] In April 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that many countries had started suspending their measles vaccination programmes due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was projected that 117 million children would be at risk of infection.[6]
Though the service was resumed partially in the following years, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus largely neglected the programme due to the overall decline of measles in the country, and halted funds for the vaccination. Political instability and administrative disruption during the period also contributed to the weakening of the programme.[5][7][8]
Epidemiology
[edit]According to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bokul, 82% of the measles and rubella infected were children aged-below-five.[9]
Measles patient statistics by division
[edit]| Division | Suspicious Cases | Confirmed Cases | Number of Admissions | Recovered | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Number of Cases | Total Number of Deaths | Total Number of Cases | Total Number of Deaths | Total Number of Patient Hospitalized | Total Number of Patients Discharged from Hospital | |
| Dhaka | 47,761 | 274 | 8,324 | 57 | 35,739 | 34,124 |
| Chittagong | 18,243 | 53 | 1,271 | 10 | 17,349 | 17,090 |
| Barisal | 10,572 | 40 | 409 | 19 | 9,878 | 9,104 |
| Rajshahi | 8,136 | 88 | 1,173 | 02 | 7033 | 7,069 |
| Khulna | 7,324 | 28 | 325 | 00 | 6,886 | 6,631 |
| Sylhet | 5,814 | 84 | 417 | 03 | 5,318 | 5,011 |
| Mymensingh | 4,858 | 62 | 446 | 02 | 4,517 | 4,208 |
| Rangpur | 1,985 | 09 | 161 | 00 | 1,246 | 981 |
| Total | 1,04,693 | 638 | 12,526 | 93 | 87,966 | 84,218 |
Response
[edit]The Minister of Home Affairs Salahuddin Ahmed vowed to control the measles within 2026.[10] Leaves of medical staffs were also cancelled.[11]
Vaccination
[edit]The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare identified 30 "hotspots" from 20 districts and took measures to start emergency vaccination in these areas.[12] The emergency mass vaccination campaign was launched on 5 April 2026. Initially covering the Dhaka North and South City Corporations, and Mymensingh and Barisal Districts, the Minister of Health, Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bokul said that mass vaccination throughout the country will start from 3 May.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Measles outbreak kills at least 15 in Bangladesh". NBC News. 2 April 2026. Archived from the original on 5 April 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ "Measles Outbreak In Bangladesh Claims 7 More Lives; 677 Total Deaths".
- ↑ "Bangladesh Measles Vaccination Campaign | Emergency measles vaccination begins in 30 upazilas | The Daily Star". www.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ "All children aged 6-59 months to receive measles vaccine regardless of prior doses: Health minister". The Business Standard. 4 April 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "How governance failure brought back measles". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 April 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ "117 Millionen Kindern droht Ansteckung mit Masern". Der Spiegel (in German). 14 April 2020. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ "Why Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh? | Interim govt's missteps behind measles crisis | The Daily Star". www.thedailystar.net. Archived from the original on 6 June 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "টিকা কেনা নিয়ে অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারের সময় কী ঘটেছিল?". BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). 2 April 2026. Archived from the original on 16 April 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "হাম-রুবেলায় আক্রান্তদের ৮২% শিশু: স্বাস্থ্যমন্ত্রী". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 4 April 2026.
- ↑ Pratidin, Bangladesh (5 April 2026). "এ বছরের মধ্যেই হাম নিয়ন্ত্রণে সরকার বদ্ধপরিকর: স্বরাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী | | বাংলাদেশ প্রতিদিন". bd-pratidin.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 5 April 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ "হামের প্রকোপ: চিকিৎসক-স্বাস্থ্যকর্মীদের ছুটি বাতিল". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 3 April 2026.
- ↑ "২০ জেলার ৩০ স্থানকে হামের 'হটস্পট' ঘোষণা". দেশ রূপান্তর (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 24 April 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ SAMAKAL. "৩ মে সারাদেশে মিলবে হামের টিকা". SAMAKAL | সমকাল (in Bengali). Retrieved 12 May 2026.