Dhaka, June 18 (IANS). Deaths due to measles-like symptoms continue in Bangladesh. Five more child deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths across suspected and confirmed cases to 666.
According to the country’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), all these deaths have been recorded as suspected measles cases, and no child has died due to measles during this period.
Bangladesh news agency UNB, citing new figures, said the number of suspected deaths remained at 573 and the number of lab-confirmed deaths at 93. 1,009 new suspected cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 89,904. 139 new confirmed cases were also recorded during the same period, taking the number of confirmed cases to 10,773.
Since March 15, 74,184 children have been admitted to hospital, out of which 70,503 patients have recovered and returned home. According to the Health Department, the situation is being continuously monitored as the cases of infection are still increasing.
Health officials say that the situation is being continuously monitored and the increasing number of cases remains a matter of concern.
Bangladesh is facing its largest measles outbreak since 2005. Between 15 March and 14 April 2026, the country’s health authorities reported 19,161 suspected cases and 2,897 lab-confirmed cases in 91% of the districts. 166 suspicious deaths were also reported during the same period, while the case fatality rate stood at 0.9 percent.
By early May the number of cases had increased to nearly 55,000 suspected cases and more than 400 deaths.
According to the data, children under 5 years of age account for 79 percent of the total cases, while a higher proportion of deaths have been found among infants under 9 months of age.
Genetic analysis conducted in February 2026 indicated persistent infection, leading experts to believe that the situation was not a sudden disaster but the result of long-standing systemic deficiencies.
According to the report, the main reason for this outbreak is the continuous decline in vaccination rates. Bangladesh’s Coverage Evaluation Survey 2023 found that first dose coverage dropped to 86% from 88.6% in 2019, while second dose coverage dropped to 80.7% from 89%.
Due to this shortage, about 1 crore children are deprived of the first dose, while there is a gap of about 2 crore children for the second dose.
–IANS
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