At least 10 more children died from measles and measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the 24 hours leading up to Sunday, 4 May, pushing the country's total confirmed and suspected measles deaths to 294, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The worsening outbreak has prompted health experts to call for a formal public health emergency declaration.

Latest Death and Case Count

The DGHS confirmed that confirmed measles deaths reached 50 on Sunday, following one additional fatality reported from the Dhaka division, as reported by Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Daily Star. Nine additional "suspected" measles deaths were recorded in the same 24-hour window, bringing the total suspected fatalities to 244.

Among the latest suspected deaths, four were reported from the Dhaka division, two from Barishal, and one each from Chattogram, Khulna, and Sylhet divisions. On the case front, 95 new confirmed cases were recorded in the same period, raising the confirmed total to 5,313. A further 1,166 suspected cases were added, pushing overall suspected cases to 40,491.

Remote Villages Left Without Medical Access

The crisis has taken a particularly grim turn in Alikadam upazila of Bandarban district, where children with measles-like symptoms across 10 to 15 remote hill villages are being treated with herbal remedies and local traditional practices due to a near-total absence of healthcare access. At least five children have died with measles-like symptoms in the area over the past few days.

Locals told The Daily Star that families have resorted to extracts from wild vines and other traditional treatments for their sick children, as proper medical care remains largely out of reach. The situation in Bandarban underscores how the outbreak is hitting the most vulnerable and geographically isolated communities hardest.

Vaccine Procurement Breakdown at the Root

According to Bangladesh's Science Adviser, the current measles epidemic stems from a "catastrophic breakdown" in vaccine procurement following the July 2024 protests, which triggered nationwide vaccine shortages and a sharp decline in immunisation rates. Experts note that high child malnutrition and a weakened health system have further accelerated the death toll.

Following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid widespread protests in 2024, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus disrupted the existing vaccine coverage system during its 18-month tenure. Notably, in September 2025, the interim government ended vaccine procurement through UNICEF and shifted to an open tender system — a move that reportedly contributed to critical supply gaps.

Experts Urge Public Health Emergency Declaration

Mohammad Mushtuq Husain, an advisor at the Dhaka-based Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), has called on the Bangladesh government to formally declare a public health emergency. "This is already an emergency, so why hesitate to officially declare a public health emergency?" he said.

This comes amid growing concern that the pace of confirmed and suspected deaths — now averaging multiple fatalities per day — could accelerate further without immediate systemic intervention. With immunisation rates still reportedly suppressed and procurement reforms incomplete, the trajectory of the outbreak remains deeply uncertain.