Bangladesh measles vaccination: Bangladesh has launched an emergency vaccination drive as a fast-growing measles outbreak spreads across much of the country, with health officials and international agencies warning that the infection could widen further before the campaign begins to slow transmission. The effort is aimed at protecting more than 1.2 million children in the first phase.
According to government figures cited by Reuters, Bangladesh has recorded 17 confirmed measles deaths so far, along with 113 suspected deaths and more than 7,500 suspected infections nationwide. The outbreak has now reached 56 of the country’s 64 districts, putting added pressure on an already strained health system.
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The campaign is being led by Bangladesh’s Health Ministry with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. It began in 18 high-risk districts and is targeting children between six months and five years of age, especially those who missed routine immunisation and are considered most vulnerable to serious complications. UNICEF said the first phase will cover 30 upazilas, with expansion planned for city corporation areas from April 12 and a broader nationwide rollout from May 3.
UNICEF’s Bangladesh representative, Rana Flowers, said the surge in cases points to serious gaps in immunity among young children. Health facilities in several of the worst-hit areas are already overcrowded and working with limited capacity, raising fears that the outbreak could intensify before the vaccination push takes full effect.
The WHO told Reuters it expects the outbreak to continue spreading in the coming days, but said the situation should begin to improve once the emergency immunisation drive is fully underway. WHO representative Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed said the campaign is intended to prevent further avoidable deaths among children.
Officials say the emergency drive is meant to reinforce, not replace, Bangladesh’s routine immunisation programme, as authorities work to contain one of the country’s most serious measles flare-ups in recent years.