Measles outbreak in Bangladesh claims seven more lives; death toll rises to 738

Seven more children died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours until 8 a.m. on Sunday, raising the fatalities from confirmed and suspected measles in the country in 2026 to 738, local media reported.

The latest fatalities have been classified as suspected measles fatalities, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). With the latest fatalities, the total number of suspected measles cases in Bangladesh has increased to 645, while the number of laboratory-confirmed measles deaths stood at 93, United News of Bangladesh reported.

During the same period, 925 new suspected measles cases were reported in Bangladesh, raising the number of suspected cases nationwide to 105,618.

As many as 106 new confirmed measles cases were reported in Bangladesh, raising the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 12,632, the United News of Bangladesh reported.

Since March 15, a total of 88,844 patients with suspected measles have been admitted to hospital in Bangladesh. Among them, 85,122 people have recovered, according to the DGHS data.

Reports suggest that as the number of measles and suspected measles cases crossed the one lakh mark, infections continued to rise despite a vaccination drive covering 1.84 crore children in May.

In June, health experts cited the possible gaps in vaccination coverage in certain areas, along with weak infection control and prevention measures, as contributing factors. They warned that the onset of dengue season could further endanger children already infected with measles, increasing the risk of severe complications.

Public health expert Mushtuq Husain said that measles cases are failing to decline for two main reasons: vaccination coverage not reaching the 95 per cent threshold in all areas and inadequate adherence to infection prevention and control measures in hospitals and communities, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.

He said that isolation and quarantine had largely been ignored despite being important components of outbreak management. He said that the vaccination campaign target was largely set online from offices due to time constraints, resulting in inaccurate planning, The Daily Star reported.

"As a result, many children may have remained unvaccinated," Husain said as he emphasised the importance of launching a vaccination campaign targeting all children aged below five years and a revised house-to-house microplanning approach to reduce measles cases.

IANS