BANGLADESH REPORTS 5 MORE CHILD DEATHS AS MEASLES TOLL CROSSES 1,200

Mon 19 October 2026:

Deaths linked to measles rose to 1,201 in Bangladesh as five more children died due to measles-like symptoms, the country’s health authorities said Monday.

Of the total fatalities, 104 are confirmed cases of measles, according to the Directorate General of Health Services under the Health Ministry.

The health authorities also reported 1,307 new suspected infections and 35 confirmed infections across the country.

Since the deadly outbreak was reported in mid-March, suspected cases have exceeded 214,000, while more than 23,000 confirmed cases were reported.

Bangladesh historically had herd immunity against measles but has lost it in recent years due to declining vaccination coverage.

Since April, the Health Ministry has immunized over 20 million children through special programs in addition to routine vaccinations.

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The main driver is a collapse in vaccination coverage after the 2024 political transition. Changes in procurement caused nationwide vaccine stockouts in 2024–2025, routine immunisation rates fell below the 95% herd-immunity threshold, and scheduled supplementary campaigns were postponed or cancelled. As a result, large numbers of children remained unprotected; hospital data show the great majority of fatal cases were unvaccinated.

Young infants are especially vulnerable. Roughly half of confirmed deaths have occurred in babies under nine months—the age of the first routine measles-rubella dose—because maternal antibody transfer is weakened by widespread maternal malnutrition and because herd immunity no longer shields them.

Malnutrition further multiplies risk. About 28% of under-fives are stunted and 10% wasted; these children develop more severe disease, respond less well to vaccine when they eventually receive it, and have higher case-fatality rates. Missed vitamin-A campaigns compound the problem.

Once infected, children die mainly from complications, especially pneumonia (recorded in the large majority of documented deaths), plus encephalitis, diarrhoea and sepsis. Limited paediatric intensive-care capacity, delayed referrals and late presentation to hospital turn many of these complications fatal.

In short, a sudden immunity gap, high rates of child and maternal malnutrition, and a strained health system have turned a highly preventable disease into a major cause of child death.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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