Bangladesh measles outbreak kills nearly 500 children amid vaccine shortage

A severe measles outbreak in Bangladesh has claimed the lives of roughly 480‑488 children in the past three months, with more than 40,000 patients admitted to hospitals across 58 of the country’s 64 districts. UNICEF reports that the crisis was exacerbated by an acute shortage of measles vaccine, a problem it warned about repeatedly since 2024 through letters and meetings with the health ministry.

The interim government led by Mohammad Yunus failed to secure new vaccine supplies, leaving the national stock depleted. The current Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration has opened a high‑level investigation into the procurement failures, and UNICEF has pledged full cooperation with the inquiry.