Dhaka, Oct 26 (IANS) As Bangladesh grapples with an unprecedented measles outbreak, six more children died from symptoms of the disease on Monday, pushing the death toll to 1,233 this year, local media reported.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the deaths were reported in the 24 hours leading up to Monday morning.

The latest six fatalities from the disease were identified as suspected, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported.

Reports suggest that while the number of confirmed deaths remained at 104, the total number of suspected deaths climbed to 1,129.

The DGHS recorded a total of 1,388 new suspected measles cases during the 24-hour period, bringing the overall tally of suspected cases to 222,552

Additionally, 78 new confirmed cases were reported, increasing the total to 23,478 during the same period.

Speaking to The Sunday Guardian earlier this month, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the measles “epidemic” was the result of “state negligence” and the collapse of decades-old immunisation system.

Hasina accused the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration of disrupting vaccine procurement through its political and administrative decisions, leading to a considerable immunisation gap.

She alleged that Bangladesh’s measles-rubella vaccine stocks were exhausted in March 2026, followed by a sharp decline in vaccination coverage. She also claimed that the authorities failed to launch a supplementary vaccination campaign at the scheduled time.

Hasina further criticised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman-led BNP government, alleging that the authorities failed to take adequate action after the severity of the outbreak became evident

“More than one thousand children dying from a preventable disease is not an ordinary administrative failure,” she added.

The former Prime Minister called for uninterrupted vaccine supplies, targeted immunisation campaigns for vulnerable communities, real-time disease monitoring, expanded paediatric healthcare facilities and an independent probe into the alleged procurement and vaccination failures.

Despite Bangladesh reinstating vaccine procurement through UNICEF in April, followed by an emergency vaccination drive, the epidemic is unlikely to be quickly contained given the speed of transmission, said Be-nazir Ahmed, former director of disease control at DGHS earlier this month, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper ‘The Daily Star’ reported.

Last month, public health experts linked the resurgence to gaps in previous vaccination coverage and shortcomings in hospital and patient management, including delays in detecting infected children and isolating them at home.

Speaking to ‘The Daily Star’, public health expert Mushtuq Husain said children generally need 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 added.

–IANS

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