Bangladesh measles outbreak: Death toll hits 280 as four more children die
Four more children have died with symptoms of measles in Bangladesh, pushing the cumulative death toll to 280 since 15 March, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) announced. The country continues to battle one of its most severe measles outbreaks in recent memory, with confirmed cases, suspected infections, and fatalities all rising in tandem.
Latest Case and Fatality Figures
According to DGHS data cited by local media, 170 new suspected measles cases were recorded within a 24-hour window ending Friday, bringing the total number of suspected cases to 38,301. During the same period, 115 new confirmed cases were added, raising the total confirmed infection count to 5,146.
Of the 280 total deaths recorded since 15 March, 49 were confirmed measles fatalities, while the remaining 231 deaths reportedly occurred among suspected cases, according to DGHS. Among the newly identified 1,170 suspected cases, 942 individuals were hospitalised and 893 were discharged, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune.
WHO Warning and Vaccination Targets
Last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) called for urgent measures to control the ongoing outbreak, cautioning that further transmission remains likely without enhanced surveillance, faster response mechanisms, and improved vaccination coverage. WHO advised Bangladeshi authorities to achieve at least 95 per cent coverage of both doses of the measles-containing vaccine across all municipalities. Stronger integrated surveillance systems to swiftly identify suspected cases in both public and private healthcare facilities were also recommended.
A Decade of Vaccination Gains at Risk
This comes amid a broader institutional crisis in Bangladesh's health sector. According to The Daily Star, one of Bangladesh's leading newspapers, national vaccination coverage dropped to approximately 60 per cent in 2025 — the lowest in nearly a decade — down sharply from 85–92 per cent between 2010 and 2022.
The newspaper's report described the deterioration as systemic rather than incidental:
