Vaccine delays worsen measles outbreak

Bangladesh faced a prolonged shortage of routine measles vaccines last year, contributing to a surge in cases and deaths, UNICEF said on 20 May. The agency added that it had issued at least ten warnings to the government since 2024 over the supply gaps.

Speaking at a press conference at UNICEF Bangladesh’s JPG Conference Room, UNICEF Representative Rana Flowers said, “Every year, the government procures around 70 million vaccines. Last year, we refinanced and supplied 17.8 million routine Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) vaccines between August and November. This was less than one-third of the required total, which caused the shortage.” She emphasised that the delay was due to procurement processes, not a lack of funds.

UNICEF had repeatedly raised concerns through meetings and formal letters to both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Flowers warned that the disruption left many children without vaccination coverage, increasing the risk of measles transmission and contributing to the outbreak. She noted that the situation has improved with new vaccine supplies arriving in May, and authorities are now accelerating campaigns to reach high-risk children and strengthen surveillance.

The outbreak continues to take a toll. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), six children died in the past 24 hours due to measles and measles-like symptoms, raising the death toll to 481. Of the recent deaths, three were confirmed as measles and three were suspected cases, occurring in Dhaka, Barishal, Sylhet, and Khulna.

DGHS data shows 1,270 children were admitted to hospitals with measles-like symptoms over the same period, with 138 confirmed cases. Since 15 March, 57,856 children have developed measles-like symptoms, 45,128 were hospitalised, 41,120 have recovered, and 8,067 have been confirmed with measles.

Flowers stressed that timely vaccine supply and robust immunisation systems are critical to prevent further loss of life and control outbreaks, while UNICEF and government partners continue to scale up response efforts.