Bangladesh Launches Emergency Measles Vaccination Campaign Amid Deadly Outbreak

Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign targeting more than a million children as a fast-spreading measles outbreak sweeps across the country, with the child death toll passing 100. The government, in partnership with the United Nations, began conducting an emergency measles-rubella vaccination drive for children across the country after more than 900 cases were confirmed since March, marking the worst outbreak the south Asian country has experienced for years.

Health ministry figures show there have been 17 confirmed deaths from measles so far, with 113 suspected deaths and more than 7,500 suspected infections nationwide. The outbreak now spans 56 of Bangladesh's 64 districts, and hospitals in several high-burden regions are already overcrowded and operating with limited capacity, raising concerns about further spread.

The campaign, led by the health ministry with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, began in 18 high-risk districts. Children aged six months to five years are being prioritized, particularly those who missed routine immunization and face the highest risk of severe complications. The emergency drive will focus on children in high-risk districts and will then be expanded out across the country.

"This resurgence highlights critical immunity gaps, particularly among zero-dose and under-vaccinated children, while infections among infants under nine months, who are not yet eligible for routine vaccination, are especially alarming," said the representative for UNICEF in Bangladesh. One-third of those affected are below the age of nine months, which is when they would usually be eligible for a measles vaccine, which experts said showed a concerning gap in the programme.

The newly elected government said mismanagement by the previous regimes had led to programme gaps in vulnerable areas and a shortage of the vaccine stockpiles. The political turmoil of Bangladesh over the past two years, after the toppling of the prime minister in an uprising in 2024, had led to disrupted vaccine procurement and a failure to conduct the usual measles vaccination campaigns. The current government only came to power in elections in February.

According to the UN, 95% of the population has to be vaccinated in order to stop the disease from spreading. Since the launch of a massive immunisation campaign in 1979, Bangladesh has raised the coverage of fully immunised children from just 2% to 81.6%. However, experts have continued to warn that there are still stark discrepancies in measles vaccine coverage in the country of 170 million people.

The World Health Organization said the outbreak would continue to spread in the coming days, but would likely be curtailed soon after the vaccination campaign is rolled out. Officials said the emergency vaccination drive will complement routine immunisation efforts as authorities work to contain the outbreak.