Bangla measles outbreak claims 1,100 lives; ‘negligence’, says Hasina

The outbreak has infected over 2.11 lakh people and claimed 1,108 lives since March 15.

Bangladesh is grappling with its worst measles outbreak in decades, with more than 1,100 confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths reported since March, exposing serious gaps in childhood immunisation, vaccine procurement and healthcare preparedness.

According to official data released by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh’s unprecedented measles outbreak between March 15 and September 30, 2026, has affected more than 2.11 lakh people, with 191,731 suspected cases involving children showing measles-like symptoms and 21,520 laboratory-confirmed measles cases. Of those affected, around 169,800 patients required hospitalisation due to severe symptoms, while 162,873 were subsequently treated and discharged. The outbreak has claimed 1,108 lives, including 101 laboratory-confirmed measles deaths and 1,007 suspected fatalities involving children who died after developing measles-like symptoms.

The outbreak has triggered questions over the disruption of Bangladesh’s immunisation programme during the political transition that followed the 2024 upheaval. At the centre of the debate is a decision by the former interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus to change the country’s long-standing system of vaccine procurement.

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Bangladesh had traditionally procured measles-rubella vaccines through international supply mechanisms involving UNICEF and Gavi. In 2025, the procurement system was shifted to an open-tender mechanism. Bangladesh’s current Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain told Parliament earlier this month that the change, despite warnings from UNICEF, contributed to a vaccine supply crisis. He said vaccines were available in international warehouses but shipments were delayed because final approvals and release of funds from Dhaka were not provided on time.

The procurement controversy has become an important part of the political debate over the outbreak. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, speaking to The Sunday Guardian, described the epidemic as the consequence of what she called “state negligence” and the breakdown of an immunisation system built over several decades.

Hasina alleged that political and administrative decisions taken during the Yunus-led interim administration disrupted vaccine procurement and created a substantial immunisation gap.

She claimed that Bangladesh’s measles-rubella vaccine stocks ran out in March 2026 and that vaccination coverage subsequently declined sharply. She also alleged that authorities failed to conduct a supplementary vaccination campaign when it was due.

The former prime minister further criticised the current BNP-led government under Tarique Rahman, alleging that the authorities failed to respond adequately once the scale of the outbreak became apparent.