Bangladesh Measles Surge
Bangladesh has reported 14,385 suspected measles cases and 145 suspected deaths since March 15 as a vaccination campaign moves into a second phase. Local reports say 10 children died in 24 hours and hundreds were hospitalised amid the worsening outbreak. (outbreaknewstoday.substack.com) (viewsbangladesh.com)
Bangladesh’s measles outbreak kept accelerating into April, with suspected cases rising above 17,000 by April 13 as emergency vaccinations moved into a second phase. (dhakatribune.com) The Directorate General of Health Services said 17,024 suspected cases and 2,721 laboratory-confirmed cases had been recorded from March 15 to April 13. The same update said seven more suspected deaths were logged in 24 hours, including four in Dhaka and one in Rajshahi. (dhakatribune.com) Two days earlier, the health agency’s bulletin put the toll at 14,385 suspected cases, 2,489 confirmed cases, 145 suspected deaths and 24 confirmed deaths since March 15. A local report also said 912 children were hospitalized in 24 hours as the outbreak worsened. (daily-sun.com) (viewsbangladesh.com) Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes, and the World Health Organization calls it one of the world’s most contagious diseases. Two doses of a measles-containing vaccine provide about 97 percent protection, according to the agency. (who.int 1) (who.int 2) Bangladesh launched an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign on April 5, targeting more than 1.2 million children ages 6 months to 5 years in 30 upazilas across 18 high-risk districts. The plan expanded to four city corporations on April 12 and is scheduled to go nationwide on May 3. (unicef.org) (who.int) The children getting sick are overwhelmingly very young. UNICEF’s April 8 situation report said 81 percent of cases were in children under 5, including 34 percent in infants younger than 9 months, who are too young for routine immunization. (reliefweb.int) That report said 72 percent of cases were in zero-dose children and another 16 percent were only partially vaccinated. A separate response update from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society said cases had already been reported in 57 of the country’s 64 districts. (reliefweb.int) (bdrcs.org) Bangladesh’s outbreak response is being backed by the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, with rapid response teams deployed to high-risk areas. The government has framed the campaign as an emergency effort to close immunity gaps left by uneven routine coverage. (who.int) (bdrcs.org) The next test is speed. Bangladesh is now trying to vaccinate children faster than measles can keep moving through districts where many of the youngest children have little or no protection. (unicef.org) (who.int)
