In Brief
- Casualty figures: Health officials reported 1,009 total measles-related fatalities and 168,745 suspected cases across all 64 districts as of September 2026.
- Vulnerable demographic: Children under five years of age account for 82 percent of total infections, with zero-dose unvaccinated infants representing the vast majority of severe outcomes.
- Emergency response: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare expanded a national mass-immunization drive targeting 22.6 million children aged 6 to 59 months.
Data released by Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) confirms that the nation's ongoing measles outbreak has resulted in 1,009 total deaths—comprising 909 suspected and 100 laboratory-confirmed fatalities—and 168,745 suspected cases since late February 2026. Geographically affecting all 64 districts across all eight divisions, the outbreak stands as the country's worst-recorded surge of the virus. According to health department metrics, children under five years old constitute 82 percent of overall cases, while hospital admissions for measles treatment surpassed 148,000 across urban and rural healthcare facilities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF attribute the surge to severe immunity gaps created by a drop in national full-vaccination coverage from 93 percent in 2024 to 86 percent in 2025, alongside vaccine supply chain disruptions following changes in state procurement frameworks. In response, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare initiated a nationwide emergency outbreak response campaign supported by international health agencies, expanding vaccination targets to 22.6 million children aged 6 to 59 months regardless of prior immunization history.
a developing story
