Daijiworld Media Network - Dhaka
Dhaka, Oct 16: Five more children died from suspected measles in Bangladesh on Friday, taking the total number of deaths linked to the disease to 1,186 in 2026, as the country continues to grapple with an unprecedented outbreak, local media reported.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the latest deaths were reported in the 24 hours leading up to Friday morning.
The five latest fatalities were classified as suspected measles deaths, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported.
While the number of confirmed deaths remained at 104, suspected deaths climbed to 1,082, taking the combined toll of confirmed and suspected fatalities to 1,186.
The DGHS recorded 1,164 new suspected measles cases during the 24-hour period, bringing the overall number of suspected cases to 211,040. Another 46 confirmed cases were reported, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 22,972.
Despite Bangladesh resuming vaccine procurement through UNICEF in April and subsequently launching an emergency vaccination drive, the outbreak is unlikely to be contained quickly because of the speed at which the disease spreads, Be-nazir Ahmed, former director of disease control at the DGHS, said last week, according to Bangladesh's leading newspaper *The Daily Star*.
Last month, public health experts attributed the resurgence to gaps in earlier vaccination coverage and shortcomings in hospital and patient management. These included delays in detecting infected children and isolating them at home.
Speaking to *The Daily Star*, public health expert Mushtuq Husain said children generally require three to four weeks after vaccination to develop sufficient immunity.
“Therefore, the current wave of infections, hospitalisations and deaths may continue for at least another month,” he said.
Earlier, the Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG) described the 2026 measles outbreak as one of Bangladesh's worst public health crises in recent history, highlighting concerns over the spread of a disease that can be prevented through vaccination.
In its report titled *‘Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh's 2026 Measles Outbreak’*, the organisation said that although the outbreak appeared sudden to the public, it was not unexpected from an epidemiological perspective.
The report attributed the crisis to a combination of disruptions to vaccine supplies and health programmes in 2024-2025 under the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. It also cited missed routine vaccinations, cancellations of scheduled supplementary immunisation programmes, administrative delays in vaccine procurement and failures to promptly identify populations at risk.