Bangladesh measles outbreak claims 900 lives – and serves as warning for why vaccination matters

Almost 900 people in Bangladesh are suspected to have died in a measles outbreak that began in March. Most of those affected are children.

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known. It can spread rapidly when vaccination rates fall, and the Bangladesh outbreak shows how quickly years of gaps in protection can turn into a serious public health crisis.

The country had hoped to eliminate measles and rubella by 2020. Instead, the pandemic disrupted routine childhood vaccinations, leaving pockets of children vulnerable to the virus. Now other countries where vaccination rates have fallen face a similar risk.

Vaccine hesitancy is probably part of the story here too. During the Covid pandemic, almost half of Bangladesh’s population were wary of getting vaccinated. That same wariness may well have carried over to the measles-rubella jab, with many parents simply refusing to let their children be vaccinated.

Measles has its own set of drivers, too. Poverty, education levels, and how often mothers attend antenatal check-ups all shape whether children in a community end up vaccinated. Add it all up, and childhood vaccination coverage has been sliding for years – down to just 87%.

Between March 15 and September 6, Bangladesh reported 92 suspected measles cases per 100,000 population and 11 confirmed measles cases per 100,000...

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