New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) Bangladesh is facing one of its worst public health crises in recent years with a massive measles outbreak exposing serious weaknesses in the country’s immunisation and healthcare systems, according to a report.
A report published in The Daily Star — citing Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) data — said that more than 1.89 lakh people (mostly children) have been affected by measles or measles-like symptoms since March 15, 2026.
At least 1.49 lakh patients have required hospitalisation, while the reported death toll from confirmed and suspected cases has reached 1,012, it added.
Health experts caution that distinctions remain between confirmed and suspected infections and fatalities. However, children are dying in extraordinary numbers from a disease that is highly preventable by vaccination, according to the report.
The outbreak has reignited concerns about Bangladesh’s immunisation programme, once regarded as a major success story among developing nations.
The report noted that high vaccination coverage achieved through government leadership, NGO participation and community mobilisation had previously helped protect millions of children from preventable diseases.
It showed that multiple factors contributed to the current crisis.
“Covid-19 disrupted routine immunisation. Some children were never brought back into the system,” according to The Daily Star.
“Hard-to-reach populations, urban slums, migrants and other marginalised communities remained particularly vulnerable. Routine follow-up and identification of zero-dose children were inadequate. These weaknesses piled up,” it adds.
Authorities responded with a large-scale emergency vaccination campaign and reported inoculating nearly 1.97 crore children.
However, questions later emerged over the accuracy of population estimates after a subsequent Vitamin A campaign reached around 2.23 crore children in the same age group.
According to the report, authorities acknowledged that the original measles target population had been underestimated.
Despite a temporary decline in infections during June and July, measles cases resurged in August.
Describing the situation as a preventable public health failure and broadly governance failure, the report called for a thorough investigation and renewed efforts to ensure such a crisis does not recur.
–IANS
ag/