Officials point to a US policy shift in 2025 that cut development aid as a contributing factor to vaccine shortages and questioned the government's ability to secure adequate supplies.

Dhaka has targeted the 30 worst-affected zones for an intensified vaccination drive before expanding to additional regions.

A sharp rise in cases in 2026 is linked to a large number of unvaccinated children and gaps in vaccination programs caused by political turmoil, health system restructuring, and supply disruptions since 2024.

Mahmudur Rahman, head of the measles and rubella monitoring committee, warned that mortality in this outbreak is the highest in two decades in Bangladesh.

The World Health Organization emphasizes that measles is highly contagious and causes about 95,000 deaths annually, mostly among unvaccinated children under five.

WHO data show that the largest suspected measles toll was 25,934 in 2005, with this year seeing rising numbers and mortality—global context remains around 95,000 deaths per year among under-fives.

Measles remains a major global killer among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under five, with deaths estimated around 95,000 annually.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed two senior ministers to travel nationwide to assess the crisis and coordinate the response, signaling high-level government engagement.

Authorities have identified 30 districts as the most affected and launched urgent vaccination campaigns in those areas to curb transmission.

The outbreak has resulted in at least 98 measles-related deaths in three weeks, with thousands of suspected cases and hundreds of confirmed cases, underscoring the severity of the surge.

Health officials say the measles outbreak is driven by multiple factors, including a vaccine shortage, malnutrition, reduced breastfeeding among young mothers, and widespread misinformation about vaccination risks.

The government has launched emergency vaccination in response, aiming to curb the outbreak and save lives in the worst-affected areas.