Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh Claims Seven More Lives, Death Toll Surpasses 600

Dhaka, June 4: The measles outbreak in Bangladesh continues to escalate. On Wednesday, seven more children succumbed to the disease, raising the total confirmed and suspected deaths since March 15 to 601.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), these fatalities were reported within the last 24 hours as of Wednesday morning. All seven deaths are classified as suspected cases.

Official data confirms 90 deaths due to measles, while 511 are considered suspected. In the past 24 hours, 1,210 new suspected cases have been identified, bringing the total number of suspected cases to 74,572. Additionally, 55 new confirmed cases have increased the total to 9,191.

The health crisis in the country is deepening. In May alone, 309 deaths were recorded due to measles and related symptoms. This situation follows the conclusion of a special measles-rubella vaccination campaign on May 20, which lasted for one and a half months.

Local media reports indicate that throughout May, more than 1,000 new cases were reported on most days. The only exceptions were on May 9, 16, and 23, when the numbers fell below 1,000.

Meanwhile, UNICEF revealed in May that it had repeatedly warned the then-interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, about the vaccine shortage. Rana Flowers, UNICEF’s representative in Bangladesh, stated that health officials had been alerted through letters and meetings since 2024 that a vaccine shortage could lead to a significant health crisis.

Flowers noted that UNICEF sent five to six letters to the health ministry and expressed concerns in ten different meetings. He emphasized that the government was consistently informed from 2024 to 2026 about the need to place timely orders to ensure adequate vaccine supply, but this was not acted upon.

Additionally, Flowers mentioned that UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Ted Chaiban, raised the vaccine crisis issue during a meeting with the foreign ministry in August 2025 during his visit to Bangladesh.

Currently, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government is investigating the measles outbreak, and UNICEF will provide necessary evidence to assist in this inquiry.