Dhaka, Sep 27 (IANS) As Bangladesh grapples with an unprecedented measles outbreak, nine more children died from symptoms of the disease in the 24 hours until 8 a.m. (local time) on Sunday, raising the total number of confirmed and suspected measles-related fatalities to 1,096 in 2026, local media reported.
All nine fatalities from the disease were identified as suspected cases, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the latest fatalities, the total number of suspected measles deaths rose to 995, while confirmed fatalities remain unchanged at 101, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.
As many as 1,228 new suspected measles cases were reported in Bangladesh during the 24-hour period, taking the total number of suspected measles cases in the country to 188,041.
During the same period, 113 new confirmed measles cases were reported, pushing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 21,212, UNB reported.
As many as 166,310 patients with suspected measles have been admitted to hospitals in Bangladesh since March 15. Among those, 159,519 have recovered from the disease, according to the DGHS.
As Bangladesh continues to witness a sharp increase in measles cases, a leading international advocacy group recently described the 2026 outbreak as one of the country’s worst public health crises in recent history, highlighting the concern that the disease is preventable through vaccination.
In its report titled ‘Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh’s 2026 Measles Outbreak’, Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG) said that although the measles outbreak appeared sudden to the public, it was not an unexpected event from an “epidemiological perspective”.
The report noted that the crisis resulted from a combination of disruptions to vaccine supply and health programs in 2024-2025 during the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, along with missed routine vaccinations, cancellations of scheduled supplementary immunisation programmes, administrative delays in vaccine procurement, and a failure to identify at-risk populations promptly.
According to GCDG, Bangladesh had long procured World Health Organisation (WHO)-approved vaccines through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s international supply chain; however, the interim government replaced this system with an open tender procurement process. Citing UNICEF, the report said the agency repeatedly warned the interim government of a potential vaccine shortage through five to six formal letters and around 10 meetings held between 2024 and 2026.
–IANS
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