Bangladesh’s measles death toll has reached 1,030 since March 15, comprising 930 suspected and 100 confirmed deaths, as eight more suspected measles patients died in the latest 24-hour period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The eight deaths were recorded between 8am on September 13 and 8am on September 14, with four reported in Dhaka division and four in Sylhet division.
No confirmed measles death was recorded during the period.
The DGHS also reported 1,177 new suspected measles cases in 24 hours, taking the cumulative number of suspected cases since March 15 to 172,720.
Another 55 cases were confirmed during the period, bringing the total number of confirmed measles cases to 20,124.
Since March 15, a total of 152,117 suspected measles patients have been admitted to hospitals, while 146,400 have been discharged after treatment.
In the latest 24 hours, 1,148 patients were admitted to hospitals and 1,093 were discharged.
Dhaka records highest number of new cases
Dhaka division recorded the highest number of new suspected cases in the latest 24-hour period, with 424 cases and four deaths.
Chittagong division reported 278 suspected cases, followed by Sylhet with 150, Barisal with 131, Khulna with 88, Mymensingh with 57, Rangpur with 26 and Rajshahi with 23.
Sylhet recorded the other four suspected deaths reported during the period.
Cumulatively, Dhaka has recorded the largest number of suspected cases since March 15, with 74,120 cases and 419 suspected deaths.
Chittagong has recorded 34,078 suspected cases and 70 suspected deaths, while Barisal has reported 18,851 cases and 57 deaths.
Sylhet has recorded 12,958 suspected cases and 161 suspected deaths, Rajshahi 10,120 cases and 93 deaths, Mymensingh 8,344 cases and 77 deaths, Khulna 11,215 cases and 39 deaths, and Rangpur 3,034 cases and 14 deaths.
Among confirmed measles cases, Dhaka has recorded 12,410 cases and 63 deaths since March 15. Chittagong has recorded 2,711 confirmed cases and 10 deaths, while Barisal has reported 781 confirmed cases and 19 deaths.
Rajshahi and Sylhet have each recorded three confirmed deaths, while Mymensingh has reported two. No confirmed measles deaths have been recorded in Khulna or Rangpur during the period covered by the bulletin.
Vaccination coverage exceeds target
The DGHS bulletin also provided an update on the 2026 national measles-rubella vaccination campaign.
According to the data, 19,779,130 vaccine doses have been administered against a target of 18,015,064 across the eight divisions, representing 109.8% of the stated target.
Mymensingh recorded the highest divisional coverage at 115.1%, followed by Chittagong at 112.7%, Dhaka at 110.6%, Rangpur at 109.9%, Rajshahi at 108.1%, Khulna at 105.1%, Sylhet at 104.8% and Barisal at 104.5%.
Across the city corporations, 2,074,169 doses were administered against a target of 1,905,950, equivalent to 108.8% coverage.
Gazipur City Corporation recorded the highest coverage at 116.1%, followed by Rajshahi at 115.1%, Dhaka North at 112.5% and Chittagong at 112.2%, according to DGHS data.
