Bangladesh Measles Crisis: Child Deaths Cross 1,200

DHAKA, Oct 19: The number of deaths linked to measles in Bangladesh has risen to 1,201, after five more children died with measles-like symptoms, health authorities said Monday.

Of the total deaths, 104 have been confirmed as measles-related, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Health Ministry.

Authorities also reported 1,307 new suspected infections and 35 laboratory-confirmed cases nationwide.

Since the outbreak was reported in mid-March, suspected cases have exceeded 214,000, while more than 23,000 measles infections have been confirmed, highlighting the scale of the public health crisis.

Bangladesh had historically maintained population-level immunity against measles, but declining vaccination coverage in recent years has weakened that protection, leaving more children vulnerable to infection.

In response, the Health Ministry has immunized more than 20 million children through special vaccination programmes since April, in addition to routine immunization efforts.