Nine more children die amid measles outbreak

Death toll tops 350

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FE REPORT | Published: May 09, 2026 23:05:17

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Nine more children died from measles and measles-like infections in the past 24 hours until 8:00am on Saturday, raising the total death toll to 352 since mid-March.
Of the total fatalities, 61 have been confirmed as measles cases, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in its regular bulletin.
DGHS also reported more than 1,435 new confirmed and suspected measles cases in the 24 hours, raising the total number of suspected cases to 47,656, and confirmed cases to 6,979.
According to the DGHS, 33,631 patients have been admitted to hospitals so far, of whom 29,746 returned home after recovery.
In response to the fast-spreading outbreak, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign in early April, targeting children aged between six months and five years, regardless of their previous vaccination status.
The campaign, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, aims to reach out to 18 million children, including more than 180,000 in Cox's Bazar. Over 17 million children have already been vaccinated, the DGHS said.
Bangladesh had made  significant progress toward measles elimination prior to the current outbreak. However, a nationwide vaccine stockout during 2024-25 increased the number of susceptible children and contributed to the surge in infections, according to the WHO.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, which affects individuals of all ages and remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally.
Measles is usually a mild or moderately severe disease. However, measles can lead to complications such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, secondary ear infection, inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), blindness, and death.
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