Bangladesh Measles Crisis: 600+ Dead as Political Turmoil Triggers Immunization Collapse
Bangladesh is battling a deadly measles outbreak that has claimed at least 605 children’s lives since mid-March, exposing a catastrophic collapse in its public health defenses.
While the government reports 91 lab-confirmed and 514 symptomatic deaths, health experts argue the true toll is higher, criticizing the exclusion of symptomatic fatalities from official measles counts. The virus has already spread to 58 of the nation’s 64 districts, overwhelming hospitals and prompting the WHO to declare a high national risk.
The root of the crisis lies in a shattered immunization system. Official first-dose vaccination coverage plummeted from near-universal levels in 2022 to just 56.5% in 2025. Experts trace this directly to the 2024 political upheaval that ousted the Sheikh Hasina government, as the subsequent caretaker administration failed to execute critical supplementary vaccination drives. This immunity gap allowed the B3 strain to surge, disproportionately killing children under five, who account for nearly 80% of cases.
The current government has launched an emergency campaign, lowering the vaccination age to six months and inoculating over 18 million children. Despite official claims that the infection rate is stabilizing, epidemiologists warn the outbreak is far from over. They stress that without targeted interventions for vulnerable populations in slums and transient communities, the virus will continue to spread.