Measles outbreak passes 200,000 suspected cases as vaccine gaps persist

Bangladesh has recorded 208,570 suspected measles cases and 1,073 suspected deaths since mid-March, according to an update from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) published on ReliefWeb on 22 October.

Transmission continues in all eight divisions. Dhaka Division has the highest burden, followed by Chattogram and Barishal, the IFRC said.

The numbers

208,570 suspected cases and 22,840 laboratory-confirmed cases between 15 March and 14 October
185,390 measles-related hospital admissions, with about 1,000 suspected admissions a day and a peak of 1,251 on 8 October
1,073 suspected and 104 confirmed deaths
In the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar: 2,939 suspected cases, including 2,344 confirmed, and 12 deaths since the start of 2026. Weekly cases fell from 301 at the peak to 149 in epidemiological week 40.

Why the outbreak continues

The IFRC said the outbreak is driven by immunity gaps built up over years of missed vaccinations. Nearly 20 million children have been vaccinated through emergency and follow-up campaigns since April. On 26 September the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched a nationwide measles-rubella campaign targeting about 3.4 million unvaccinated and missed children, with Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar as priorities.

A joint independent review on 14 October, involving WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the health ministry and national experts, estimated effective vaccination coverage at 78-84%. That is below the 95-96% needed to stop transmission. The review found a growing share of cases among children aged five to nine and said active transmission is now concentrated in about 120 high-burden upazilas.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, supported by the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), has deployed more than 1,200 volunteers for household visits, referral of unvaccinated children, crowd management at vaccination sites, community surveillance and risk communication.

A second outbreak

Health facilities are also coping with dengue. By 14 September, 53,570 dengue patients had been hospitalised and 157 had died in 2026, compared with 37,891 admissions and 150 deaths in 2025, the IFRC reported on 23 September, according to ReliefWeb’s dengue outbreak page. The IFRC said the rise was straining beds, clinical staff and blood and platelet supplies.

Why it matters

Two outbreaks at once put pressure on the same hospitals, staff and budgets. NGOs working on health, community mobilisation and child protection can support the review’s priorities: reaching unvaccinated children in the 120 high-burden upazilas, surveillance and community engagement.

What to watch

Whether daily admissions fall after the September campaign, whether the 120 upazilas get targeted vaccination drives, and new case figures from the Directorate General of Health Services.

This story draws on reports published on ReliefWeb, the humanitarian information service run by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Image: an illustration generated with Google Gemini. It is not a photograph.