Why Bangladesh is struggling against measles epidemic despite 20m vaccines

What the report says

Bangladesh is facing a severe measles outbreak despite an emergency vaccination campaign that has reached nearly 20 million children, according to Al Jazeera’s report from Dhaka. The article says health authorities had recorded 1,009 deaths by September 9, including confirmed and suspected cases, after the epidemic intensified in early 2026 and spread across most of the country. Last year, Bangladesh had reported only 132 measles cases and no deaths.

The report says the crisis reflects several overlapping problems: years of falling routine immunisation, disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, and delays in vaccine procurement after political upheaval in 2024. Public health experts cited by Al Jazeera also argue that the original target for the emergency campaign underestimated the number of eligible children, and that national coverage figures can hide local pockets of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children.

At Dhaka’s Infectious Diseases Hospital, doctors said many current patients are unvaccinated, while hospital data showed deaths were concentrated among very young children, especially those too young for routine first-dose vaccination. Pneumonia was reported as a leading complication. The hospital’s figures are not nationally representative, but they help explain why measles can remain deadly once it spreads widely.

The outbreak matters because measles is highly contagious and usually requires very high, evenly distributed vaccination coverage to stop transmission. Al Jazeera says authorities are now working to identify gaps in immunisation and reach communities that remain at risk.