Bangladesh measles toll nears grim 1,000-child mark
More than 180,000 suspected and confirmed cases have strained pediatric wards as officials race to close vaccination gaps among young children.
- On Thursday, September 3, 2026, the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute in Dhaka grappled with a surge in measles cases as at least 986 children died since March and suspected cases surpassed 180,000 nationwide.
- The outbreak stems from missed vaccinations during political instability, including a 2024 uprising that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 2025 strikes that delayed immunization drives. Children aged six months to five years proved particularly vulnerable.
- Cries of sick children fill the air at Shishu Hospital, where 19-year-old Sanjana Islam Modina cradles her six-month-old son, Ayan. "His lungs were already very weak from the pneumonia, then with measles his breathing was affected more," Modina told AFP.
- SM Ziauddin Hyder, special assistant to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for health, called the outbreak "devastating." Healthcare workers are conducting a mass vaccination drive to close immunization gaps, though more than 1,000 suspected cases are reported daily.
- Epidemiologist Mahmudur Rahman, former director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, urged a broader vaccination campaign. He emphasized containment requires isolating infected children, handwashing, and caregivers using masks.
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Complications can include brain inflammation and severe breathing problems. Although anyone can get the disease, young children are particularly vulnerable.
Anadolu Ajansı
Child deaths linked to measles near 1,000 in Bangladesh
4 more children die as authorities report over 900 new confirmed, suspected infections
It is one of the deadliest ever recorded in the country: the measles epidemic that broke out in March in Bangladesh has soon claimed a thousand lives, and the country's hospitals are overflowing.
A measles epidemic has been raging in Bangladesh for nearly six months. Nearly a thousand children have died from one of the world's most infectious diseases. Following the government's collapse two years ago and the ensuing political chaos, measles vaccination rates have declined.
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayNearly 1,000 children dead as Bangladesh battles worst measles outbreak in decades
DHAKA, Sept 5 — Bangladesh’s deadliest measles outbreak in decades is nearing the grim milestone of 1,000 child deaths, as a devastating epidemic sweeps through the country and...
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