Bangladesh measles outbreak death toll rises to 528 after 16 more fatalities
Dhaka, May 24
A total of 16 more children have died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till 8 a.m. on Sunday, raising the death toll since March 15 to 528, local media reported.
With the latest fatalities, Bangladesh reported the second highest single-death death toll for the second straight day, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.
On Saturday, Bangladesh reported 13 fatalities from measles and similar symptoms.
All the 16 new deaths were classified as suspected measles-related, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the latest fatalities, the total number of suspected measles-related deaths has increased to 442, while the confirmed deaths stood at 86.
As many as 1,306 suspected measles cases were reported in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of suspected measles cases to 63,813, according to the DGHS. During the same period, 128 new confirmed measles cases were reported, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 8,622.
Since March 15, 50,558 suspected measles patients have been admitted to hospitals. Among them, 46,214 patients have recovered, UNB reported.
On May 20, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said that it had repeatedly warned the country's earlier interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, both through written communication and meetings with Health Ministry officials, about vaccine shortages that could trigger a major health crisis.
Addressing a press briefing in Dhaka, UNICEF representative to Bangladesh, Rana Flowers, said that the UN agency sent five to six letters to the health authorities on the issue and raised the matter in 10 meetings during the tenure of the interim government, Bangladesh's The Daily Star reported.
"From 2024, we were warning the government that the shortage of vaccines could lead to an outbreak. From 2024 to 2025 into 2026, we sent letters, and we had 10 different meetings signalling this was a problem and that orders for vaccines needed to be given. They could not," she added.
According to Flowers, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban raised concerns over vaccine shortage at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry during his visit to Bangladesh in August last year.
She added that the UN agency would provide evidence to assist the investigation launched by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led government on the measles outbreak.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The UN agency apparently sent 5-6 letters and had 10 meetings, yet nothing happened. This is a classic case of bureaucratic negligence. In India too, we see vaccine hesitancy and supply chain gaps, but this scale of death is avoidable. The new government must hold someone accountable. Vaccines are cheap and effective—there's no excuse for this.
This is a massive public health failure. As someone who works in global health, I'm appalled. UNICEF warning from 2024 onwards about vaccine shortages should have triggered an immediate response. Now over 500 children dead. The interim government under Yunus needs to answer serious questions. I hope India learns from this and ensures our immunization programs are robust.
A genuine question: Why did the Bangladesh government not order vaccines when warned repeatedly? 😡 We see such things in India too sometimes, but this is sheer negligence. Those 528 families are shattered. The new BNP-led government should investigate and ensure this never happens again. RIP little ones.
I've been following this outbreak. The fact that over 50,000 suspected cases have been hospitalized and 46,000 recovered shows how aggressive this strain is. The interim government's failure to act on vaccine shortages is criminal negligence. Children are the most vulnerable. India must ensure our cold chain and vaccine supply systems are always functional. Praying for Bangladesh 🇮🇳❤️🇧🇩
This is very sad news. But I think we need to be careful before pointing fingers. The interim government was dealing with political instability
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