Bangladesh recorded four additional measles-related child deaths in the past 24 hours on Saturday, bringing the total fatality count to 991 since mid-March. Of these deaths, 100 have been confirmed as measles cases. The Dhaka division alone accounts for 464 of the deaths.
Health authorities reported 843 new cases with measles-like symptoms and 74 confirmed infections during the same period, raising cumulative totals to 163,105 symptomatic cases and 19,641 confirmed infections. More than 143,000 infected children have been admitted to hospitals since mid-March, with approximately 138,000 recovering and being discharged.
The outbreak in the densely populated country of 175 million people has been attributed to low vaccination coverage. The nation previously maintained herd immunity against measles but has lost this protection due to declining immunisation rates. Since April 5, health authorities have vaccinated nearly 19.48 million children through emergency programmes alongside routine vaccinations. A fresh nationwide vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin late this month.