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.
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