Bangladesh: 98 children die of suspected measles outbreak in three weeks

The Bangladeshi government has said it suspects that measles has killed at least 98 children in the past three weeks in the country, AFP reported on Sunday.

This has prompted the government to launch an emergency vaccination drive in 18 high-risk districts. The campaign will be expanded from May 3 to cover the entire country.

Measles is a highly infectious disease that is transmitted when a person coughs or sneezes. It is most common among children and can lead to complications such as pneumonia, blindness and encephalitis.

Once an individual contracts measles, there is no specific treatment for it and the infection has to run its course.

According to data from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of children between the ages of six months and five years with suspected measles symptoms has increased to 6,476 in 2026, reported AFP.

The number of confirmed cases of measles among this age group is 826. A total of 16 deaths linked to the disease have been confirmed.

“Compared with past years, the number of affected children is higher and the death toll is higher too,” the news agency quoted Halimur Rashid, director at the Communicable Disease Control department, as saying.

The Dhaka division has reported the highest number of suspected cases at 2,394, followed by Rajshahi at 1,243 and...

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