WHO Flags High Measles Outbreak Risk in Bangladesh as Cases Spread Across 58 Districts

The World Health Organization has classified Bangladesh as facing a high national risk from a fast-spreading measles outbreak, warning that urgent action is needed to close dangerous immunity gaps among children. The outbreak has now reached 58 of Bangladesh’s 64 districts, covering all eight administrative divisions, making it one of the country’s most serious vaccine-preventable disease emergencies in recent years.

According to WHO’s Disease Outbreak News update dated April 23, 2026, Bangladesh reported 19,161 suspected measles cases and 2,897 laboratory-confirmed cases between March 15 and April 14, 2026. The agency also recorded 166 measles-related deaths, with children below five years forming the overwhelming majority of reported cases. WHO said around 79 percent of cases are among children under five, highlighting how severely the outbreak is affecting the youngest and most vulnerable age groups.

The outbreak is especially worrying because measles is among the most contagious viral diseases known in public health. It spreads through airborne droplets from infected persons and can cause fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, mouth spots and a spreading rash. While many patients recover, severe cases can lead to pneumonia, diarrhoea, ear infections, blindness, encephalitis, brain damage and death, particularly among malnourished, unvaccinated or immunocompromised children.

WHO has linked the surge to a combination of falling immunity, disrupted routine immunisation and vaccine supply problems. The agency noted that Bangladesh had previously made major progress toward measles elimination, but recent declines in measles-rubella vaccine coverage, a national MR vaccine stockout during 2024–2025, gaps in routine immunisation and the absence of regular nationwide supplementary campaigns since 2020 have created a large pool of susceptible children.

The highest burden of suspected cases has been reported from Dhaka, followed by Rajshahi, Chattogram and Khulna. In Dhaka, cases are concentrated in densely populated informal settlements and industrial-slum clusters, where overcrowding, mobility and uneven healthcare access can accelerate transmission. WHO also noted that deaths have been reported mainly among unvaccinated children below two years of age.

Bangladesh has launched an emergency measles-rubella vaccination campaign to contain the outbreak. The campaign began on April 5, 2026, targeting children aged 6 to 59 months in 30 upazilas across 18 priority districts, and was later expanded nationwide from April 20. WHO said the response also includes stronger disease surveillance, laboratory support, hospital preparedness, rapid response teams, vitamin A supplementation for suspected and confirmed cases, and faster vaccine procurement.

The situation has regional importance because WHO has flagged the risk of cross-border spread through population movement along Bangladesh’s borders with India and Myanmar. Urban centres such as Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar are important travel and transit hubs, increasing the chance of wider transmission among unvaccinated or under-vaccinated travellers. WHO has also advised stronger surveillance in high-traffic border areas and vaccination of at-risk groups, including healthcare workers, transport workers and international travellers without proof of immunity.

WHO has urged Bangladesh to maintain at least 95 percent coverage with both first and second doses of measles-containing vaccine, strengthen measles-rubella surveillance, rapidly detect suspected cases, improve hospital infection control and ensure fast response to imported or clustered cases. The agency has not recommended any travel or trade restrictions, but it has warned that continued transmission is likely unless vaccination and surveillance efforts are rapidly intensified.

The outbreak is a reminder that measles returns quickly when vaccination gaps open. For Bangladesh, the immediate challenge is to vaccinate missed children, protect infants and restore confidence in routine immunisation. For the wider South Asian region, it is a public-health warning that even diseases once pushed back by strong vaccination drives can re-emerge when supply chains, surveillance and routine coverage weaken.