Dhaka, August 16: The measles outbreak in Bangladesh has resulted in the deaths of at least eight more children, bringing the total confirmed and suspected fatalities to 902 this year. The health crisis in the country continues to escalate.
According to media reports, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) confirmed that these deaths were recorded within the last 24 hours as of Saturday morning. The Bangladesh News Agency (UNB) reported that the eight new deaths have been categorized as suspected cases.
Reports indicate that the number of confirmed deaths from measles remains stable at 99, while suspected deaths have risen to 803.
The DGHS also reported 728 new suspected cases of measles in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number of suspected cases to 141,776. Additionally, 70 new confirmed cases were recorded, raising the total confirmed cases to 17,800.
As the number of measles cases continues to surge in Bangladesh, a prominent international organization recently labeled the 2026 outbreak as one of the most severe public health crises in the country’s recent history. The organization expressed concern that measles is a preventable disease through vaccination.
The Canada-based Global Center for Democratic Governance (GCDG) stated in its report titled “Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh 2026 Measles Outbreak” that while the outbreak may have seemed sudden to the public, it was not unexpected from an epidemiological perspective.
The report highlighted that this crisis is a result of several factors, including disruptions in vaccine supply and health programs during the tenure of the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus from 2024 to 2025, missed routine vaccinations, cancellation of scheduled supplementary vaccination programs, administrative delays in vaccine procurement, and failure to timely identify at-risk populations.
According to the GCDG, Bangladesh has long procured WHO-approved vaccines through UNICEF’s international supply system. However, the interim government replaced this system with an open tender process.
The report cited UNICEF, stating that the agency sent five to six formal letters to the interim government regarding the potential vaccine shortage between 2024 and 2026 and held nearly ten meetings, but the situation did not improve.
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