Bangladesh Measles Deaths Near 1,000 as Outbreak Continues

Bangladesh is confronting the world's largest measles outbreak, with 999 suspected and confirmed measles-related deaths reported since March, according to the country's Directorate General of Health Services. Only 100 of those deaths have been confirmed by laboratory testing, while the rest are classified as suspected based on symptoms and circumstances. Health Ministry data show more than 166,000 suspected cases since the outbreak emerged, including about 19,835 laboratory-confirmed infections, and more than 146,000 suspected patients hospitalized. Most victims are young children, with children under 5 accounting for roughly 80 percent of cases in the early stages of the spread. The outbreak follows years in which Bangladesh maintained vaccination coverage at or above the 95 percent level recommended by the World Health Organization, coming close to eliminating the disease. Between 2021 and 2025, the country recorded only 100 to 300 cases per year. Coverage eroded after the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted routine immunizations, and in 2024 the government largely missed a vaccination campaign previously carried out every four years. Health Minister Sardar Md.