Bangladesh launches measles vaccination drive amid deadly outbreak
The Hindu – International
You are logged in
Loading…
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials,
Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you’ve access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Account Settings
Need help with your subscription?
Weather News September 26, 2026 e-Paper
The View From India
Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.
First Day First Show
News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.
Today's Cache
Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.
Science For All
The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!
Data Point
Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers
THEdge
At the cutting edge of education and careers
Health Matters
Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there
Gender Agenda
Stories from beyond the binary.
The Hindu On Books
Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.
Weather News September 26, 2026 e-Paper
Updated – September 26, 2026 07:25 pm IST – DHAKA
Image used for representational purposes only.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Bangladesh launched a nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign on Saturday (September 26, 2026), targeting 3.4 million unvaccinated and missed children, amid its worst-ever measles outbreak, which has killed more than 1,000 people and infected tens of thousands.
Also Read: Bangladesh launches emergency vaccination campaign as measles outbreak spreads
The month-long campaign aims to vaccinate children aged 6 months to 59 months who missed earlier immunisation efforts after authorities lowered the minimum vaccination age from the usual 9 months because of the outbreak.
The outbreak has exposed gaps in childhood immunisation and put growing pressure on health services, already grappling with a seasonal surge in dengue infections.
Bangladesh is currently experiencing the world’s largest measles outbreak, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has recorded 1,087 confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths, including 101 laboratory-confirmed fatalities.
Since March 15, authorities have reported nearly 187,000 suspected cases and 21,099 confirmed infections, with more than 165,000 people hospitalised, Health Ministry data showed.
Health experts attributed the crisis to disruptions in routine immunisation programmes in 2024 and 2025, when political turmoil, changes to vaccine procurement and the postponement or cancellation of vaccination campaigns left many children unprotected.
Missed vaccinations and vaccine supply disruptions left children vulnerable to infection, particularly infants under 9 months who are too young to receive routine measles immunisation, helping fuel transmission across age groups.
Since April, Bangladesh has vaccinated nearly 20 million children through emergency and follow-up campaigns. However, experts say significant immunity gaps remain, with many eligible children still unvaccinated or missed during previous drives.
They say reaching every eligible child in the latest campaign will be critical to slowing transmission and preventing future outbreaks of the highly contagious disease.
Authorities said the campaign will help close immunity gaps, reduce severe illness and deaths, and break chains of transmission across Bangladesh.
Published – September 26, 2026 07:23 pm IST
Bangladesh
/
health
/
vaccines
/
health treatment
Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
BACK TO TOP
Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
Fonte: The Hindu – International
