Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh Claims 11 More Lives

A severe measles outbreak in Bangladesh has resulted in 11 additional deaths, bringing the total fatalities to 409. The Directorate General of Health Services reported a significant rise in both confirmed and suspected cases since mid-March. Critics are calling the situation an 'avoidable disaster' and are demanding accountability from the previous interim government for dismantling the vaccine procurement system. With hospitals overwhelmed and vaccination coverage declining, the health crisis continues to escalate, prompting urgent calls for action and investigation into the government's handling of the outbreak.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 11, 2026, 15:14 IST

Severe Measles Outbreak in Bangladesh

Photo: @ians_india/X

Dhaka, May 11: The measles outbreak in Bangladesh has resulted in the deaths of at least 11 individuals, raising the total number of confirmed and suspected fatalities to 409, as reported by local news outlets.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) indicated that these fatalities occurred within the 24 hours leading up to Sunday.

Of the recent deaths, four were confirmed cases of measles, bringing the total confirmed deaths since March 15 to 65. Additionally, seven more deaths were linked to suspected cases, increasing the suspected death toll to 344, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

In the same 24-hour timeframe, 1,503 new suspected measles cases were reported, pushing the cumulative total since March 15 to 49,159. Among these, 205 were confirmed cases, raising the overall confirmed cases to 6,819.

Reports indicate that hospitals have admitted 34,909 patients exhibiting measles-like symptoms since mid-March.

The outbreak, which has claimed over 400 lives since mid-March, has been labeled an "avoidable disaster". Critics have called for accountability from the previous interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which dismantled a functional vaccine procurement system without the means to restore it.

An editorial in The Daily Star highlighted that Bangladesh's measles vaccination coverage had been a model for low-income nations for two decades, but this progress has been jeopardized due to negligence by the interim government.

The report noted that the Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Programme, operational since 1998, was terminated in March 2025 without a proper exit strategy.

It pointed out that the halted vaccine procurement and dwindling medicine supplies to over 14,000 community clinics, along with depleted buffer stocks during the interim government's rule, have exacerbated the crisis.

Criticizing the interim government's decisions, the report stated, “The lack of accountability necessitates a probe committee with the authority to determine individual responsibility. The tragic deaths of children demand answers from those who dismantled this program.”