Dhaka, September 20 (Daily Kiran) : The measles outbreak in Bangladesh is escalating, with four additional child fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of confirmed and suspected deaths in 2026 to 1,057.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), these latest deaths are categorized as suspected cases of measles. The number of suspected deaths has now reached 956, while confirmed fatalities stand at 101, as reported by the United News of Bangladesh (UNB).
In the past day, 1,148 new suspected cases of measles have emerged, raising the total number of suspected cases in the country to 179,814. Laboratory tests have confirmed 88 new cases, increasing the total confirmed cases to 20,562.
Since March 15, a total of 158,589 patients exhibiting measles-like symptoms have been admitted to various hospitals across Bangladesh, with 152,225 of them having recovered, according to DGHS data.
Amid this surge in measles cases, a prominent international advocacy group recently labeled the 2026 outbreak as one of the most severe public health crises in Bangladesh’s recent history. The group expressed concern, emphasizing that vaccination could prevent this disease.
The Global Center for Democratic Governance (GCDG), based in Canada, highlighted in its report titled “Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh 2026 Measles Outbreak” that while this outbreak may seem sudden to the public, it was not unexpected from an epidemiological perspective.
The report attributes the crisis to several factors, including disruptions in vaccine supply and health programs during the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus from 2024 to 2025, lapses in routine vaccinations, the cancellation of scheduled supplemental vaccination programs, administrative delays in vaccine procurement, and the failure to identify at-risk populations promptly.
According to GCDG, Bangladesh has long relied on the World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccine procurement through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) international supply chain. However, the interim government shifted to an open bidding process for vaccine procurement.
The report cites UNICEF, which indicated that the agency had repeatedly warned the interim government about the potential vaccine shortages through five to six formal letters and approximately ten meetings between 2024 and 2026.
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