Daijiworld Media Network - Dhaka

Dhaka, Sep 30: Bangladesh’s measles outbreak has claimed nine more lives in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed and suspected measles-related deaths in the country to 1,096 in 2026, according to local media reports.

All nine latest fatalities were suspected measles cases, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

With the addition of the latest deaths, the number of suspected measles fatalities has risen to 995, while confirmed deaths remain at 101, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

Bangladesh recorded 1,228 new suspected measles cases during the 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. on Sunday, taking the total number of suspected cases to 188,041.

Another 113 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported during the period, pushing the total number of confirmed measles cases to 21,212.

According to the DGHS, 166,310 patients with suspected measles have been admitted to hospitals across Bangladesh since March 15. Of them, 159,519 have recovered.

The sharp rise in infections has raised concerns over one of the country's most serious recent public health crises, particularly as measles is preventable through vaccination.

A recent report by Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG), titled *Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh's 2026 Measles Outbreak*, described the outbreak as one of the country's worst public health crises in recent history.

The report said the outbreak may have appeared sudden to the public but was not unexpected from an epidemiological perspective.

According to the GCDG, the crisis resulted from several factors, including disruptions to vaccine supplies and health programmes during 2024-25 under the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, missed routine vaccinations, cancellation of scheduled supplementary immunisation programmes, administrative delays in vaccine procurement and delays in identifying vulnerable populations.

The report also said Bangladesh had traditionally procured World Health Organisation (WHO)-approved vaccines through the international supply chain operated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

However, the interim government replaced the system with an open tender procurement process, according to the report.

Citing UNICEF, the GCDG said the agency had repeatedly warned the interim government about a possible vaccine shortage through five to six formal letters and around 10 meetings held between 2024 and 2026.