Bangladesh fights a deadly measles surge as vaccination gaps widen

Bangladesh is contending with a severe measles outbreak that has caused nearly 1,000 deaths and infected more than 166,000 people this year, as vaccination disruptions from the Covid era and political upheaval left many children unprotected. An emergency drive led with WHO, UNICEF and Gavi targets children 6 months to 5 years and then expands nationwide, but coverage on the second vaccine dose remains below the 95% threshold needed to stop transmission, and hospitals report exhausted staff treating complications like pneumonia and encephalitis.