DHAKA, BANGLADESH / MENA Newswire / — Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services said the combined death toll tied to the country’s measles outbreak had risen to 415 by May 11, after six more children died in the previous 24 hours. The total includes 65 laboratory-confirmed measles deaths and 350 deaths in children who showed measles-like symptoms. Health officials also reported 50,500 suspected cases nationwide and 6,937 infections confirmed by laboratory testing, underscoring the scale of an outbreak that has spread rapidly since mid-March.
Government and international health data show the outbreak has affected all eight divisions and reached most districts of the country. The World Health Organization said Bangladesh had reported transmission in 58 of 64 districts by mid-April and assessed the national risk as high. WHO also said 79% of reported cases were in children younger than five, including about one-third in infants under nine months, the age group most vulnerable to severe complications and least likely to have full protection.
Dhaka has remained the main center of transmission and mortality, followed by Rajshahi and Chattogram, according to regional public health updates based on Bangladeshi government data. Hospitals have faced a heavy caseload as admissions climbed with the spread of measles and measles-like illness. Since March 15, 35,980 suspected patients have been hospitalized and 31,992 have recovered, according to the latest official figures, showing the sustained pressure on pediatric wards and emergency treatment capacity.
Measles vaccination campaign expands
The government began an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign on April 5 in 30 upazilas across 18 high-risk districts, then expanded it to city corporation areas before launching a nationwide phase on April 20. The campaign targets children aged six to 59 months, regardless of previous vaccination status. Health authorities have presented the drive as the central measure to curb transmission after immunity gaps in routine coverage left large numbers of children exposed to one of the world’s most contagious viral diseases.
UNICEF and WHO have supported the campaign alongside the government, providing technical, operational and supply assistance as Bangladesh moved from hotspot containment to a national response. WHO said earlier in the outbreak that more than 19,000 suspected cases and nearly 3,000 confirmed cases had been recorded by April 14, with children under five accounting for the overwhelming majority. Those figures have since risen sharply, highlighting how quickly the outbreak intensified over a period of weeks.
Coverage rises as outbreak remains active
Officials said on May 9 that 17,268,908 children had received a measles-rubella vaccine dose, equivalent to 96% of the campaign’s target of 18 million children. The nationwide program was scheduled to continue until May 12 outside city corporation areas and until May 20 in the remaining city corporation zones. Health authorities have said cases have started to decline in some places where full vaccination coverage was achieved early, though the national outbreak has continued to generate new daily admissions and confirmed infections.
Even with that progress, the official death count continued to climb in the latest daily update, showing that the vaccination drive and hospital response are running alongside an active outbreak rather than after it. The latest data point to a nationwide child health emergency, with case detection, treatment and immunization still moving at scale as Bangladesh continues efforts to contain transmission and reduce further loss of life.