Bangladesh measles epidemic: 32,000 cases, 250 deaths linked to Yunus govt vaccine shift
Synopsis
Over 250 children are dead and 32,000 suspected measles cases have been reported in Bangladesh since mid-March — and experts say the crisis was foreseeable. A decision by the Yunus interim government in September 2025 to abandon UNICEF-managed vaccine procurement in favour of an open tender system triggered nationwide vaccine stockouts, with UNICEF's own representative warning officials repeatedly before the outbreak took hold.
Key Takeaways
Bangladesh has recorded over 32,000 suspected measles cases and more than 250 deaths , mostly children, since mid-March 2025 .
The Muhammad Yunus -led interim government ended UNICEF -managed vaccine procurement in September 2025 , shifting to an open tender system.
UNICEF representative Rana Flowers repeatedly warned Bangladesh health officials the move could trigger an outbreak.
Only 59% of eligible children received their measles vaccination in 2025 , down sharply from prior years.
A supplemental MR immunisation campaign planned for 2024 , then deferred to 2025 , was ultimately cancelled.
Epidemiologist Mohammad Mushtuq Husain has called on the government to formally declare a public health emergency .
Bangladesh is battling a severe measles epidemic, with over 32,000 suspected cases and more than 250 deaths — mostly young children — recorded since mid-March 2025. Health experts and international agencies have linked the outbreak to a critical breakdown in vaccine procurement following the political transition that brought the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to power in mid-2024.
Hospitals overwhelmed, children treated on floors
Dhaka's Infectious Disease Hospital was overwhelmed last month by children in acute distress — some gasping for breath, others lying motionless — as acute bed shortages forced medical staff to treat patients on the floor. The scenes, described in a report published on Saturday, reflect the scale of a public health crisis that experts say was both predictable and preventable.
The epidemic has been further compounded by high rates of child malnutrition and a chronically underfunded health system, conditions that accelerate measles fatality rates, according to health specialists.
The procurement shift that sparked the crisis
According to Science Adviser, the epidemic stems from what the publication described as a
Point of View
Repeated warnings from the agency — was not merely an administrative misstep; it was a policy choice with foreseeable lethal consequences. What makes this especially troubling is that measles is entirely vaccine-preventable, and Bangladesh had made significant immunisation gains in prior years. The refusal to declare a formal public health emergency, even as hospitals overflow and children die on floors, suggests an accountability deficit that compounds the original procurement failure.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is causing the measles epidemic in Bangladesh in 2025?
The epidemic is linked to a catastrophic breakdown in vaccine procurement after the Yunus interim government ended UNICEF-managed vaccine supply in September 2025 and shifted to an open tender system. The resulting bureaucratic delays caused nationwide vaccine stockouts, sharply reducing immunisation coverage and enabling the virus to spread rapidly.
How many people have died in the Bangladesh measles outbreak?
More than 250 people, mostly young children, have died since mid-March 2025, according to government figures cited in the Science Adviser report. Over 32,000 suspected cases have been recorded in the same period.
Why did Bangladesh stop procuring vaccines through UNICEF?
The Yunus interim government decided in September 2025 to replace UNICEF-managed procurement with an open tender system, in which suppliers bid competitively for government contracts. UNICEF strongly opposed the move, with its Bangladesh representative Rana Flowers warning health officials it would disrupt immunisation and could trigger an outbreak.
Has Bangladesh declared a public health emergency over measles?
As of the latest reports, Bangladesh has not formally declared a public health emergency. Mohammad Mushtuq Husain, an advisor at the Dhaka-based Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), has publicly called on the government to do so, stating the crisis already meets the threshold.
Can the ongoing vaccination campaign stop the Bangladesh measles outbreak?
Experts are sceptical. Be-nazir Ahmed, former Director of disease control at Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services, warned that at the current pace of vaccination, the infection rate will not decrease in the near term, given how rapidly measles transmits in under-immunised populations.
