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At least 143 people have died in Bangladesh since March 15, 2026, when the country began experiencing a measles outbreak. Children account for the majority of the measles-related deaths in the country.
With about 12,000 suspected cases, health officials say this is the worst measles outbreak the country has seen in two decades.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), measles is a highly contagious disease. It often spreads through coughing or sneezing, and young children are more vulnerable.
Bangladesh has made significant advancements in vaccinations to tackle infectious diseases, but a measles drive due in 2024 was delayed by the deadly uprising that toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina.
This vaccine gap has left many people, including children, exposed to the deadly disease. Many families with sick children told AFP they come from areas with limited vaccine coverage.
One of the parents, 18-year-old Rubia Akhtar Brishti, said her son nearly died in Bangladesh’s deadly measles outbreak.
“The boy had high fever and found it hard to breath,” Brishti told AFP as she mopped the fevered brow of one-year-old Minhaz, who was cradled in her arms.
“His whole body had rashes,” she added.
Brishti, like dozens of others, rushed from her village seeking help in the capital, Dhaka, where the DNCC Hospital in Mohakhali, set up originally for Covid-19, is flooded with cases.
The ward is usually filled with the sounds of coughing and cries of pain, as mothers hold nebulisers over their children’s mouths to help their lungs gulp for air, their tiny bodies marked by a searing rash.
Another mother who lost her vaccination cards and could not give her infants a vaccine shot said her two children have fallen ill.
As cases rise across the country, health authorities are working to stop the spread and roll out vaccination campaigns. Health authorities launched an emergency measles-rubella campaign on April 5, 2026, in collaboration with United Nations (UN) agencies, to protect more than 1.2 million children.
Government health services spokesperson Zahid Raihan said that among the affected children, 17% had received a single dose, while 11% had received two doses.
“In the absence of herd immunity, children can still get infected even after vaccination,” Raihan said.
He added that 95% coverage of children was needed to ensure they are not at risk of the disease.
Golam Mothabbir, from Save the Children Bangladesh, said the hardest-hit places included the crowded capital Dhaka and the densely packed refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, which are home to more than a million people.
