Bangladesh Conducts Emergency Measles Vaccinations as Outbreak Kills Over 100 Children

Bangladesh launched emergency measles-rubella vaccinations on April 5, 2026, after a deadly outbreak killed more than 100 children in less than a month and generated over 900 confirmed cases among 7,500 suspected cases since March 15. The campaign targets children aged 6 months to 5 years in 18 high-risk districts before expanding nationwide in May, conducted in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi. Health Minister Sardar Mohammed Sakhawat Husain blames vaccine shortages on mismanagement by previous governments under Sheikh Hasina and interim leader Muhammad Yunus, whose administrations failed to maintain proper vaccine stockpiles during recent political upheavals. Despite Bangladesh raising immunization coverage from 2% to 81.6% since 1979, UNICEF warns that persistent disparities among zero-dose and under-vaccinated children created critical immunity gaps, with infections among infants under nine months particularly alarming since they are not yet eligible for routine vaccination.

Emergency vaccination campaign and outbreak scale

• ▪Bangladesh began emergency measles-rubella vaccinations on Sunday, April 5, 2026, targeting children age 6 months to 5 years old in 18 high-risk districts.
• ▪Bangladesh's emergency measles vaccination campaign will expand nationwide in phases starting in May 2026.
• ▪More than 900 measles cases were confirmed among 7,500 suspected cases reported in Bangladesh since March 15, 2026.
• ▪Bangladesh's emergency measles vaccination campaign is a partnership between the government, World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Gavi vaccine alliance.
• ▪Bangladesh's measles outbreak killed more than 100 children in less than a month as of April 2026.
• ▪World Health Organization states that 95% of the population must be vaccinated to stop measles from spreading.

Immunity gaps and vulnerable populations

• ▪Bangladesh raised the coverage of fully immunized children from 2% to 81.6% since launching a massive immunization campaign in 1979.
• ▪UNICEF warned in 2025 that stark disparities in immunization coverage persist in Bangladesh despite strong strides to increase coverage.
• ▪Measles infections among infants under nine months in Bangladesh are especially alarming because these infants are not yet eligible for routine vaccination.
• ▪Bangladesh's 2026 measles outbreak highlights critical immunity gaps particularly among zero-dose and under-vaccinated children.

Political disruptions and vaccine management failures

• ▪Bangladesh's measles vaccination campaign was disrupted during recent political upheavals in the country.
• ▪Bangladesh's previous government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the interim government under Muhammad Yunus failed to make proper decisions regarding vaccine stockpiles, causing shortages affecting vaccines for measles and six other diseases.
• ▪Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in a mass uprising in Bangladesh in 2024.
• ▪Bangladesh Health Minister Sardar Mohammed Sakhawat Husain attributed the 2026 measles outbreak to mismanagement and failures of past governments.
• ▪Muhammad Yunus led an interim administration in Bangladesh that transferred power to an elected government after an election in February 2026.

Perspective of Bangladesh Health Minister Sardar Mohammed Sakhawat Husain

• ▪Sardar Mohammed Sakhawat Husain holds Sheikh Hasina's government responsible for vaccine stockpile mismanagement that contributed to the 2026 measles outbreak.

Perspective of UNICEF

• ▪UNICEF identifies zero-dose children in Bangladesh as a particularly vulnerable population contributing to immunity gaps.

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