Bangladesh is facing the world's worst measles outbreak

Dhaka - Ofoq News - Bangladesh is facing the worst measles outbreak in the world, a crisis exacerbated by weak data, inadequate awareness efforts and vaccination gaps, and experts say it constitutes a warning to other countries of a deadly threat.

The World Health Organization said that Bangladesh, whose routine vaccination program faltered in 2025, reported 202,000 suspected cases of measles, 22,000 of which were confirmed in laboratories, since the outbreak began in mid-March until October 9. This represents the largest number of suspected cases in any country this year.

The organization added that 1,147 people have died so far from this highly contagious disease, with children under five making up 94% of the recorded deaths.

Bangladesh's experience shows the difficulty of containing an outbreak when vaccination coverage falls below 95%, the level the World Health Organization says is necessary to prevent outbreaks.

Bangladesh has been close to reaching this level in the past few years, but coverage will decline in 2025.

The World Health Organization stressed that ensuring urgent medical care is vital, which is another challenge facing Bangladesh, which is also battling a dengue epidemic.