Measles outbreak in Bangladesh has already claimed more than 1,140 lives

A measles outbreak in Bangladesh, recognized as the largest in the world, has already claimed the lives of more than 1,140 people. Over 1,000 of them are children under the age of five, 1news.az reports citing rg.ru.

According to estimates by Bangladesh's Ministry of Health, more than 200,000 suspected cases of this dangerous disease have been recorded since the outbreak began in the spring. In 22,000 of them, according to the WHO, the infection was confirmed by laboratory testing.

According to the World Health Organization, the cause of the mass deaths of children was a disruption of the routine immunization schedule in 2025.

According to local media reports, the political crisis and change of power in the country led to failures in the procurement and delivery of medicines. The new government changed its public procurement policy and canceled national vaccination campaigns. Faced with the measles outbreak, the authorities launched emergency vaccination, but unfortunately these measures came too late. The number of cases continues to grow.

At the same time, the health care system has faced another challenge. Dengue fever is raging in Bangladesh. About 100,000 people have already been hospitalized with this diagnosis. According to official data from the Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh (DGHS), at least 316 people have fallen victim to the fever.

The fever epidemic has led to an increased burden on medical facilities. Hospitals physically lack beds for all the sick.