Vaccination Gaps Leave Millions of Bangladeshi Children Vulnerable to Measles

The measles epidemic in Bangladesh has exposed critical weaknesses in the country's immunisation framework. Health experts estimate that about 4 million children have not received the measles‑rubella vaccine, creating a large pool of susceptible individuals.

Since mid‑March, DGHS records show 121,200 suspected measles cases and 15,007 confirmed infections. The death count has risen to 805, with two child deaths recorded in the last 24 hours.

Although the government announced that the emergency vaccination target had been achieved, hospitals continue to admit large numbers of unvaccinated patients. The National Verification Committee chair highlighted that the improvement after two months of the campaign was far below expectations, indicating that many families remain unaware or unable to access vaccines.

The situation underscores the need for expanding the age range of the campaign and intensifying community‑level outreach to close the immunity gap before the outbreak escalates further.