News18 (English) ·
Over 1,000 Children Dead, 180,000 Infected: What Triggered Bangladesh's Catastrophic Measles Outbreak?
The epidemic, which began accelerating earlier this year, has hit toddlers and infants under five hardest
Bangladesh is grappling with its deadliest health emergency in decades, as a catastrophic measles outbreak has claimed the lives of over 1,000 children. Health authorities confirmed that total recorded infections among children have surpassed 180,000, leaving crowded hospital wards overstretched and paediatric intensive care units struggling to cope with the influx of critically ill infants.
The epidemic, which began accelerating earlier this year, has hit toddlers and infants under five hardest, accounting for more than four-fifths of all recorded cases. Epidemiologists attribute the rapid spread to severe gaps in routine immunisation. Successive disruptions to national vaccination drives, coupled with political instability and public health worker strikes, left millions of vulnerable children without vital doses.