Bangladesh’s worst measles outbreak on record continued to deepen on Wednesday as five more children died in the past 24 hours, pushing the cumulative death toll to 771 since March and underscoring the country’s escalating public health emergency.
According to the latest update from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), four of the latest deaths occurred in Dhaka and one in Mymensingh.
The health authorities also reported 1,092 new suspected measles cases over the past 24 hours, including 172 laboratory-confirmed infections, indicating that transmission remains widespread despite ongoing treatment and response efforts.
Since March 15, Bangladesh has recorded 114,164 suspected measles cases, of which 13,907 have been laboratory confirmed.
The outbreak has so far claimed 676 children with suspected measles and 95 children with confirmed infections, taking the total number of deaths to 771.
Hospitals continue to face heavy pressure.
The DGHS said 851 children were admitted to hospitals with measles or measles-like symptoms in the last 24 hours, while 877 patients were discharged after recovery.
Since the outbreak began, 96,878 children have required hospital treatment, with 93,260 recovering and returning home.
At the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali, doctors were unable to save 10-month-old Mahajabi, who died after spending three days in intensive care, highlighting the severity of the disease among young children.
Health experts say the current outbreak is unprecedented in Bangladesh.
Official data show the country has never before recorded such high numbers of measles cases or deaths. The previous peak came in 2005, when 25,934 cases were reported. By comparison, only 132 cases were detected in 2025, while annual infections between 2020 and 2024 ranged from 203 to 2,410, with no reported deaths during that period.
The outbreak began early this year and has since grown into Bangladesh’s largest measles crisis in decades.
Public health specialists have linked the surge to disruptions in routine childhood immunisation and declining vaccination coverage, warning that without sustained vaccination campaigns and rapid case detection, the outbreak could continue to claim more lives.
