3 weeks ago
Bangladesh measles outbreak claims five lives, death toll nears 900
Measles is a sickness that can make children very ill, and there is a vaccine that can stop people from catching it.
In Bangladesh, many children are getting sick with measles right now.
On Wednesday, five more children died from it.
That brings the number of children who have died this year to 885.
Doctors are also reporting more than a thousand new cases every day.
A group called the Global Centre for Democratic Governance studied the outbreak and wrote a report about it.
The report says the outbreak happened because many children did not get their vaccine shots.
Some vaccines were not available, and some health programmes were paused.
When children do not get vaccines, the sickness can spread very fast.
The group says this was a serious health crisis that could have been prevented.
Five more children died from measles in Bangladesh in 24 hours, raising the total confirmed and suspected death toll to 885 this year.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) recorded 941 new suspected and 84 new confirmed measles cases in the same period, bringing totals to 139,125 and 17,469 respectively.
Of the latest five deaths, one was confirmed as measles and four were classified as suspected, according to Bangladeshi outlet United News of Bangladesh (UNB).
A Canada-based group, the Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG), described the 2026 outbreak as one of Bangladesh's worst public health crises in recent history.
The GCDG attributed the crisis to vaccine supply disruptions and missed vaccinations under the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, with measles vaccination coverage falling to 56.2% in 2025.
- Who
- Children in Bangladesh, with reporting by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and analysis by the Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG).
- What
- A measles outbreak that has killed 885 people this year, with five more deaths and more than 1,000 new suspected and confirmed cases reported in a single day.
- Where
- Bangladesh.
- When
- On Wednesday, with the latest deaths occurring in the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday morning; the outbreak is ongoing in 2026.
- Why
- Low vaccination coverage and vaccine supply disruptions, including a nationwide Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine stock-out in 2024-2025, left many children unprotected, according to the GCDG report and WHO.
Key facts
- Total deaths (2026)
- 885 (99 confirmed, 786 suspected)
- Latest deaths
- 5 children in 24 hours (1 confirmed, 4 suspected)
- Total suspected cases
- 139,125 (941 new in 24 hours)
- Total confirmed cases
- 17,469 (84 new in 24 hours)
- Measles vaccination coverage (2025)
- 56.2%, lowest level recorded between 2017 and 2025 per EPI data
- Main contributor per WHO
- Nationwide stock-out of the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine in 2024-2025 and lack of regular vaccination
- Key report
- 'Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh's 2026 Measles Outbreak' by the Global Centre for Democratic Governance
Sources
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