Bangladesh measles outbreak nears 1,000 child deaths as cases cross 180,000

Bangladesh’s worst measles outbreak in decades has killed close to 1,000 children with suspected and confirmed cases now surpassing 180,000, according to the latest health ministry figures. More than 1,000 suspected cases are being reported each day as hospitals struggle to treat a growing number of severely ill children, news agency AFP reported. At Dhaka’s Shishu Hospital, 101 children are currently admitted with suspected or confirmed measles. According to the health ministry, at least 986 children have died since March. “Just an hour ago, a child died, and they wheeled him out in front of us,” 30-year-old Rima Akter told AFP on Thursday. “We saw two children die today.” Akter’s nine-month-old son, Sabit Haque, is among the children being treated at the hospital. Measles is highly contagious and spreads through coughs and sneezes. Two doses of vaccine can largely prevent the disease, but once infected, there is no specific treatment. Young children, particularly those who are malnourished, face a higher risk of severe complications. The impact is evident in the hospital’s wards. Doctors said many children are arriving at hospitals with severe respiratory problems and infections, while malnutrition is further reducing their ability to fight the disease. The outbreak has exposed gaps in Bangladesh’s immunisation programme. A measles vaccination campaign planned for 2024 was delayed by the uprising that toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, while strikes and political instability disrupted a planned 2025 campaign. SM Ziauddin Hyder, special assistant to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for health, described the outbreak as “devastating”. “There was a gap of a significant number of children missing the doses,” Hyder said. “Healthcare workers... are vaccinating these children to close the gap.” Bangladesh has since launched a mass vaccination drive, but the continued rise in infections has placed renewed pressure on health authorities to close immunisation gaps and strengthen hospital capacity. One infant dies of measles in US In a separate development, one infant in Pennsylvania has died from measles amid a growing outbreak in the US, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr confirming the death on Friday, citing information from a county coroner. Vaccination rates in the US have declined, with medical groups citing rising vaccine hesitancy as a key factor. Pennsylvania has reported 540 measles cases this year, according to Reuters. The state health department also notified the CDC of two measles-associated deaths on August 25 before publishing the deaths on its website. The World Health Organization has previously stressed that measles vaccination is highly effective and that sustained high coverage is critical to preventing outbreaks