In mid-March 2026, a measles outbreak started in Bangladesh. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), as of 10 September 2026, 909 have died with suspected measles symptoms, alongside 100 confirmed measles deaths, and 168,745 have been recorded with suspected measles symptoms, alongside 19,933 confirmed cases. This led the government to start an emergency mass vaccination of children aged between 6 and 59 months.
Background Bangladesh has achieved significant progress in measles control by conducting mass immunization campaigns. Between 2014 and 2015, nationwide measles–rubella (MR) campaigns vaccinated over 50 million children. By the mid-2010s, more than 92% of children received the initial vaccine dose, and second-dose coverage surpassed 80%. The mortality rate of children aged under five due to measles declined rapidly over three decades.
However, over the years, the programme became weak, irregular, and delayed. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the government's focus shifting towards COVID-19 vaccination, hampering the MR campaigns. In April 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that many countries had started suspending their measles vaccination programmes due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was projected that 117 million children would be at risk of infection.
Though the service was resumed partially in the following years, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus reportedly neglected the programme due to the overall decline of measles in the country, and halted funds for the vaccination. Political instability and administrative disruption during the period also contributed to the weakening of the programme.
Epidemiology and demographics Amid its deadliest measles outbreak in decades, Bangladesh has reported the highest number of cases of any country in 2026, with India recording the second-highest number.
According to the Minister of Health and Family Welfare Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bokul, 82% of the measles and rubella infected were children aged-below-five. 91% of cases occurred among children aged 1 to 14 years. WHO assessed the risk at the national level as high.
The hotspots are concentrated in densely populated urban centers, including Dhaka, which accounts for 36% of cases, as well as Rajshahi and Chattogram. This represents an at least 75-fold increase from 2025.
Statistics by division +Statistics by division (as of 6 September 2026)DivisionSuspicious CasesConfirmed CasesNumber of AdmissionsRecoveredTotal Number of CasesTotal Number of DeathsTotal Number of CasesTotal Number of DeathsTotal Number of Patient HospitalizedTotal Number of Patients Discharged from HospitalDhaka70,78640112,0006354,98353,156Chittagong32,221652,7111032,20430,583Barisal17,962567761917,19216,272Sylhet11,9001551,019311,23610,829Khulna10,63036489010,1749,773Rajshahi9,811921,41838,7838,868Mymensingh7,8657575127,4897,127Rangpur2,9031453202,1072,164Total1,64,14889419,696100144,168138,772
Response
The Minister of Home Affairs Salahuddin Ahmed vowed to control measles within 2026. Leave for medical staff was also cancelled.
Vaccination The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare identified 30 "hotspots" from 20 districts and took measures to start emergency vaccination in these areas. The emergency mass vaccination campaign was launched on 5 April 2026. Initially covering the Dhaka North and South City Corporations, and Mymensingh and Barisal Districts, the Minister of Health, Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bokul said that mass vaccination throughout the country will start from 3 May.
See also Epidemiology of measles
References