Bangladesh measles outbreak: 120,000 cases and 750 deaths since March

Bangladesh has reported 120,000 suspected and confirmed measles cases and nearly 750 deaths since cases spiked in mid-March, according to government figures.

• Unicef attributed the outbreak to alleged delays in vaccine orders by the interim government, a shortage of routine jabs during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a lack of mass vaccination campaigns since 2020.
• Former interim health official Syedur Rahman denied any vaccine shortage and said experts had suggested a competitive procurement process for greater cost efficiency.
• The government and Unicef launched an emergency vaccination campaign in April, inoculating more than 18.4 million children, and reported that cases and deaths have slowed.
• Bangladesh is still recording nearly 1,000 suspected measles cases per day, and multiple deaths daily, according to the government.