Bangladesh measles outbreak kills four children, death toll climbs to 820

Bangladesh is facing a worsening measles outbreak. In the latest 24‑hour period, four children died, bringing the combined total of confirmed and suspected measles deaths to 820, with 725 classified as suspected and 95 confirmed.

Health authorities reported 990 new suspected cases, raising the nationwide suspected case count to 123,753, while laboratory testing confirmed an additional 170 cases, bringing the total confirmed infections to 15,442. Since the outbreak was first recorded on 15 March, 106,239 patients with measles‑like symptoms have been hospitalized, of whom 102,467 have recovered.

Officials note that vaccination gaps—around four million children missed by the measles‑rubella campaign—and centralized laboratory testing in Dhaka have hampered rapid response. Delays in notifying the World Health Organization and insufficient testing capacity have been cited as factors allowing the disease to spread to 61 of the country’s 65 districts.