In various hospitals across the country, measles wards filled with infected children and anxious parents have now become a common sight. An outbreak of measles emerged in the country in March 2026, and a widespread vaccination campaign began in April. But even after four months have passed, it has not been possible to bring measles infections and child mortality under control. Bangladesh currently ranks at the top globally in terms of measles infections and deaths, according to Gavi-supported international reviews and data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Public health experts attribute this situation to crises caused by policy changes in the vaccine procurement system during the former interim government and a decline in overall vaccination coverage. They are also raising questions about the effectiveness of vaccine storage methods and infrastructure in rural areas.
Communicable disease experts say that herd immunity is an essential mechanism for preventing infectious diseases. If a specific proportion of vaccines or inoculations are administered within a given population, that specific disease no longer spreads within that community; this mechanism is known as herd immunity.
Experts note that at one time, herd immunity against measles in the country was nearly 95 percent. But over the past two to three years, it has decreased significantly. Infections consequently spread rapidly this year, leaving many children outside the safety net. At least 95 percent of children must be brought under vaccination coverage to prevent measles transmission, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
For a long time, Bangladesh regularly and uninterruptedly procured vaccines through the direct vaccine procurement system managed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and supported by Gavi. But in 2025, the then-interim government brought about a major change in the regular vaccine procurement method. This caused delays in vaccine procurement and significantly reduced the rate of routine immunisation.
The interim government decided to purchase 50 percent of vaccines through an open tender method. UNICEF and its partners expressed concern at that time that such a procurement process could delay vaccine acquisition by up to a year. Bangladesh typically procures about 70 million doses of vaccines every year. But in 2025, only 17.8 million doses could be procured through UNICEF’s pre-financing mechanism. Alongside this vaccine shortage, the national measles vaccination campaign, scheduled to take place in late 2024, was repeatedly postponed and eventually cancelled. Millions of children were consequently deprived of vaccines on time, and the risk of infection multiplied manifold.
After the newly elected government took office, it cancelled the open tender method in March 2026, based on discussions with UNICEF and its partners. Following that, in April, the decision was made to return to the previous procurement method through UNICEF.
At least 860 children have died this year from confirmed and suspected measles infections, according to the DGHS data up to August 6. During this period, the number of suspected patients stood at 133,638, while laboratory-confirmed measles patients totalled 16,740. In the past 24 hours, six more children have lost their lives with measles symptoms, and 818 new infections have been recorded.
The number of recorded measles cases in the country was at least 42,780 (as of July 14), according to initial WHO data. But due to weak disease identification and data collection systems in remote areas, the actual number of infected individuals is believed to be even higher.
But according to the DGHS report, the number of measles patients was 13,735 up to July 14, 2026, while the number of suspected measles patients stood at 113,244.
When asked about the country’s measles situation, Nizam Uddin Ahmed, Chair of GAVI’s Steering Committee, told Bonik Barta, “In the current situation, it’s extremely crucial to re-evaluate the measles vaccination strategy. Despite the government being able to significantly manage the initial shock by swiftly launching a special vaccination campaign to prevent measles, it’s still not possible to completely halt fatalities because a large number of zero-dose children remain outside the coverage of vaccination.”
He informed, “According to recent data, 95 percent of deaths from measles are children under five years of age, 56 percent are under nine months, and 22 percent are under six months. Children aged 5 to 15 years are now also being infected. So targeted vaccination programs must be undertaken through the analysis of age-based and area-based data, along with widespread public awareness. Zero-dose children must be identified quickly to ensure 100 percent vaccination coverage in high-risk districts and upazilas. But this strategy doesn’t need to be applied uniformly across the entire country, prioritising high-risk areas instead based on data and evidence.”
Stressing the necessity of further strengthening the regular immunisation program, ensuring effective monitoring, and improving the service quality, he further said, “To implement this entire program, an integrated national action plan must be formulated and executed under the government’s leadership. This will ensure the coordinated participation of the health ministry, local government institutions, the health sector, development partners, NGOs, social organisations and the mass media.”
Starting from April 5, a measles-rubella vaccination campaign was conducted targeting 18 million children across 30 high-risk upazilas of the country and subsequently nationwide. On May 10, the DGHS bulletin claimed the achievement of 99 percent of the target, and 103 percent “coverage” upon the conclusion of the program. But according to a UN report in June, measles infections have spread to all 64 districts. Eighty percent of the infected are under five years of age, and nearly one-third of the total infected are under nine months old, meaning they were infected before reaching the age for routine vaccination.
Many experts have raised questions about the quality and supply management of vaccines at the field level. They stated, “Measles vaccines are temperature-sensitive. They must be stored at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. They believe that monitoring is necessary to maintain this temperature consistently during rural storage and administration.”
WHO SEARO Regional Advisor Dr Abu Muhammad Zakir Hussain, also former DGHS director, told Bonik Barta, “The most crucial things to focus on now are the vaccines’ efficacy and maintaining the ‘cold chain’ during transportation in marginal areas. Since there has been no change in the strain of the measles virus and bringing missed children under vaccination, intensive research is needed to test the efficacy of the vaccines used.”
When asked about the DGHS’ steps to address the prevailing situation, Professor Zahid Raihan, additional director general of the agency, informed Bonik Barta that a special “mop-up” program is currently underway. He said, “Physicians have been strictly instructed to take the patients’ history. Particularly in the case of children presenting with pneumonia, they are asked whether there was a fever or rash beforehand. Most of the infected are zero-vaccinated. There has been no major campaign in the country since 2020, so this time we’ve taken a coordinated initiative. Unless new children are brought under vaccination, it’s not possible to ensure acquired immunity.”
The government has decided to review the issue of “adenovirus” infection alongside measles. In this context, Md Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, secretary of the Health Services Division, told Bonik Barta, “Since the issue of adenovirus has come up alongside measles, I’ve asked the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group to examine the technical aspects of the matter. The government will take necessary measures based on the expert advice provided by the technical committee.”