Bangladesh has recorded more than 1,000 child deaths from measles since March, with health officials acknowledging that gaps in a nationwide vaccination campaign may have contributed to the worsening outbreak.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said on Wednesday that the country had recorded 1,002 deaths and 187,484 measles infections among children, making it Bangladesh’s deadliest measles outbreak in decades.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. While anyone can contract the disease, young children are particularly vulnerable to severe complications, including brain swelling and serious breathing difficulties.
Despite a mass vaccination campaign launched by health authorities to contain the outbreak, infections and deaths have continued to rise.
DGHS spokesman Zahid Raihan said more than 18 million children had been vaccinated, while health teams were still working to locate children who had not received the vaccine.
“We couldn’t achieve herd immunity,” Raihan told AFP.
Official data indicate that about four million children were missed during the vaccination campaign, creating pockets of vulnerability that health experts say may have helped sustain the outbreak.
“Measles cannot be eradicated and the aim was to reduce casualties. We will keep vaccinating our children,” Raihan said.
He added that vaccination alone would not be enough to control the crisis, stressing the need to address chronic malnutrition among children, which can increase the severity of measles and other infections.
The measles outbreak is also placing additional pressure on Bangladesh’s already strained healthcare system as the country simultaneously battles a surge in dengue infections.
“Hospitals with the capacity to handle 50 dengue patients are now dealing with 500,” Raihan said.
Health department data showed that nine people died from dengue on Tuesday, while another 1,571 patients were admitted to hospitals.
Since January, Bangladesh has recorded 45,475 dengue cases and 130 deaths. The country recorded its highest-ever number of dengue cases in 2023, when 321,017 infections were reported.
Junior Health Minister MA Muhit warned that dengue infections could increase further in the coming weeks, urging the public to improve sanitation and eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
“If we take measures to keep our surroundings clean, we may see a lower incidence of dengue,” he said at a seminar on Wednesday.
“Otherwise… dengue may take a dangerous turn in the last week of September and early October.”
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to launch a three-month nationwide anti-dengue campaign on Saturday as authorities step up efforts to contain the mosquito-borne disease.
