Bangladesh Activates Emergency Vaccination Campaign Amid Measles Surge

Mon Apr 06 2026 13:54:27 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

With over 100 child deaths linked to a recent measles outbreak, Bangladesh's government launches an emergency vaccination campaign targeting over 1.2 million children.

In a response to a severe measles outbreak that has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 100 children in the past month, the Bangladeshi government has initiated an urgent vaccination effort. This campaign, sparked by over 7,500 suspected cases reported since mid-March, aims to immunize over 1.2 million children between six months and five years old, addressing gaps highlighted by UNICEF representatives concerning routine immunizations.

Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign after a fast-spreading measles outbreak is suspected of killing more than 100 people, mostly children, in what may be the country's most lethal wave of the disease in recent history.

The campaign, which began on Sunday, comes amid more than 7,500 suspected measles cases since 15 March, according to health ministry data.

More than 900 of these cases have been confirmed—a sharp increase from 2025, when just 125 measles cases were recorded over the entire year, local media report.

While Bangladesh has long vaccinated children against the highly contagious disease, the recent outbreak has exposed gaps in its programme, raising concern.

Vaccines are foundational to child survival, Rana Flowers, the Unicef representative in Bangladesh, stated, adding that the current measles outbreak was putting thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, at serious risk.

Why is there a spike in measles in Bangladesh?

In Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, routine measles vaccines are administered to children as young as nine months old. However, Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, told BBC Bangla that about one-third of those infected in the recent outbreak were under nine months old.

The infections of these young infants who are not yet eligible for routine vaccination are especially alarming, said Flowers from Unicef.

On top of routine vaccinations, Bangladesh conducts special measles vaccination campaigns every four years, but these campaigns haven't gone according to plan. There have been no special measles vaccination campaigns since 2020, first due to Covid and then because of the political situation, Sajjad noted.

Bangladesh experienced political upheaval in 2024, when massive anti-government protests toppled its long-ruling leader Sheikh Hasina. An interim government took over after Hasina's ousting, and only in February this year did the country elect a new government.

A measles vaccination campaign was supposed to be held in April this year, but it did not happen, Sajjad said. Additionally, procurement issues have led to a shortage of vaccines, including for measles.

Many in Bangladesh have blamed the vaccine shortages on the former interim government, which oversaw a new vaccine procurement system.

But measles resurgences are typically caused by these accumulated gaps rather than a single factor, Unicef indicated. Bangladesh has a strong history of high immunisation coverage, but even small disruptions can lead to the gradual accumulation of immunity gaps over time.

What is Bangladesh doing about it?

Along with international partners like Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination campaign for measles and rubella, a milder disease with similar symptoms to measles.

This campaign, which started on Sunday, will be rolled out across 30 upazilas—sub-districts in Bangladesh—and targets more than 1.2 million children between six months and five years old.

The campaign prioritizes children who have missed routine immunization and are most vulnerable to severe illness and complications, according to Unicef. Special attention will be given to densely populated areas, including Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, which is home to crowded Rohingya refugee camps.

Besides the vaccination drive, health authorities are also publishing infographics to educate the public on how to identify and prevent measles.

What is measles?

Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can lead to severe complications and death. Common symptoms include high fever, sore, red, and watery eyes, coughing, and sneezing. In 2024, an estimated 95,000 people were killed by measles worldwide, most of whom were children under five years old, according to WHO data.

Measles can be effectively prevented through vaccination, but according to WHO, 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated to stop the disease from spreading.

Are measles cases rising around the world?

Over the past two decades, measles cases and deaths worldwide have significantly decreased. However, there have been warnings about a resurgence in certain regions due to falling vaccination rates. In 2024 and 2025, the world saw the highest number of measles outbreaks in more than 20 years, according to medical journal The Lancet.

Cases of measles have risen in some Asian and African countries, as well as in Europe, the US, and the UK, where skepticism about vaccines has increased, especially after the pandemic.

In February, an outbreak of measles among schools in north London prompted health authorities to remind parents to ensure their children are vaccinated.