1.5m vaccines arrive amid measles outbreak

Seven more children die

FE REPORT | Published: May 06, 2026 23:28:59 | Updated: May 06, 2026 23:31:16

Bangladesh received a critical shipment of 1.5 million vaccine doses on Wednesday, including measles-rubella (MR) and tetanus-diphtheria (TD) vaccines, as the country has been battling a widening measles outbreak since mid-March.
Meanwhile, seven more children died of measles and measles-like symptoms in the past 24 hours as of 8:00am on the day, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The consignment of vaccines, delivered via Qatar Airways at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, arrived under a joint arrangement between the Ministry of Health and UNICEF.
Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain formally received the vaccine from the UNICEF at the airport while government representatives and UNICEF officials were also present.
Later at a press briefing, the minister said the government is procuring vaccines on a large scale to strengthen the country's immunisation programme, particularly amid the ongoing measles outbreak.
He noted that although the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) had faced disruptions due to policy decisions of the previous government, the current government has prioritised restoring and expanding vaccine supply.
"An initiative has been taken to procure vaccines directly through UNICEF by cancelling the decision to purchase vaccines through open tender, and this is being implemented swiftly," he said.
The minister added that the government has already provided $83.6 million to UNICEF, through which around 95 million doses of 10 types of vaccines will be secured.
More than 1.5 million doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) arrived on May 3, followed by another 1.5 million doses of measles-rubella (MR) and 0.9 million doses of tetanus-diphtheria (TD) vaccines on Wednesday, he said.
By May 10, around 18 million additional doses, including MR, TD, BCG, TCV, oral polio vaccine (OPV) and pentavalent vaccines, are expected to arrive, with the full supply scheduled to be  completed by September, the minister added.
The nationwide "Measles-Rubella Vaccination Campaign-2026" is currently underway to contain the outbreak. According to the minister, more than 16.8 million children had been vaccinated as of May 5, representing 93 per cent of the target.
He said there is sufficient stock of TCV and HPV vaccines in the country and expressed hope that the new shipments would ensure no vaccine shortage for the next 8 to 12 months.
Vaccine quality is being maintained through a cold chain system, with technical support from UNICEF, he added.
The ministry also plans to procure vaccines covering 15 months for the 2026-27 fiscal year, including a three-month buffer stock, through UNICEF.
According to a joint study by the ministry and UNICEF, the EPI programme prevents around 100,000 child deaths and about 5 million disease cases annually.
In the past over 1,654 new infections were recorded. The total suspected infections rose to 44,260 and confirmed infections to 6,099 since mid-March, according to DGHS bulletin.
bdnews24.com adds: The availability of measles testing kits in Bangladesh has dropped to a critically low level, raising concerns over possible disruption in diagnostic services.
On Wednesday, officials said the Institute of Public Health (IPH) in Dhaka's Mohakhali -- the country's only facility for measles testing--now has just 13 kits left, enough to process around 1,500 samples.
Each kit is used to test nearly 90 samples, while the country receives around 300 samples daily, creating pressure on the existing stock.
IPH Director Mominur Rahman, however, said a new shipment is expected before the existing stock runs out.
The laboratory in Mohakhali possesses the capacity to test over 600 samples per day.
Officials noted that stocks had previously dipped in the middle of last month before reaching the current tally of 13.
Records from the institute show that 57 kits were available in January, with an additional 70 acquired later.
Out of the 127 kits received this year, 114 have already been utilised to test 10,597 samples.
A doctor at Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, speaking on condition of anonymity, said test results often take four to five days after samples are sent, sometimes stretching to a week, adding that faster results are needed in the current situation.
The IPH director said testing continues at full capacity when kits are available, but supplies have now dropped.
"We are expecting 30 kits through the World Health Organization within the next day or two, followed by another 100 kits later," he added. "Testing will return to maximum capacity once those arrive."
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