Bangladesh Battles World’s Worst Measles Outbreak, Experts Issue Global Warning

Bangladesh is fighting the world’s worst measles outbreak, a crisis made worse by weak data, poor outreach and vaccination gaps. The WHO reported 202,000 suspected cases, 22,000 of them lab-confirmed, between mid March and October 9, more than any other country this year. So far 1,147 people have died, and 94% of the deaths were children under five. A Reuters review of WHO documents and interviews with more than a dozen scientists, health workers and officials found that the response was also hampered by data that left out millions of children.

Vaccine adviser Mark Jit called it a real warning to every country, saying prevention is easier, cheaper and safer than emergency response. In September, the country still averaged 1,198 new cases a day, the highest since May.

Why Measles Vaccination Coverage Fell in Bangladesh

Bangladesh was once a vaccination success story, reaching 96% first-dose and 93% second-dose coverage in 2024. Political turmoil after the end of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule led to health worker strikes, delayed vaccine orders and disrupted follow-up shots. By 2025, WHO and UNICEF estimated coverage had dropped to 90% for the first dose and 86% for the second, below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks. The report also questioned the quality of official vaccination data for 2023 to 2025.

Emergency Vaccination Campaign Gaps

Almost 20 million children were vaccinated in April and May, and the government said every child in the target group was covered. Yet a June health drive listed 4 million more children in the same age group. Meeting minutes showed only one round of readiness checks was done instead of the usual four. The share of unvaccinated children among confirmed cases was 82% before the campaign and 85% after. In Sylhet, 8 of 16 families interviewed said they never saw health workers offering vaccines. A new campaign now targets 3.4 million missed children, though up to 40% of children are unregistered and about a third of health worker posts are vacant.