Dhaka, April 8 (IANS) With Bangladesh's measles outbreak having claimed over 128 lives already since March 15, including mostly children, Awami League leader Mohammad Ali Arafat on Wednesday accused the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of cancelling several public welfare initiatives introduced by the Sheikh Hasina-led government, including the national immunisation programme.
The former Bangladesh Minister stressed that the previous interim government must be held responsible for leaving the nation vulnerable to a health disaster.
At least 10 more people died of suspected measles within a 24-hour period ending Tuesday morning, raising the total number of deaths to 128 since March 15, local media reported, citing Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Taking to his social media platform X, Arafat said, “Driven by a political agenda, Yunus’s interim government cancelled several public welfare initiatives introduced by the Awami League government, including the national immunisation programme. This ultimately resulted in multiple child deaths and created an environment of havoc for families with newborns."
He claimed that under the Awami League government, vaccination coverage exceeded 90 per cent in Bangladesh, citing the World Health Organisation’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) data.
However, in 2025, he said, the coverage dropped to 59.6 per cent, indicating a sharp decline and raising concerns over policy continuity and implementation capacity.
Expressing grave concern, Arafat said, “Failure to provide accessible, life-saving vaccines, especially to children, is being seen as a violation of the right to life. Reduced immunisation increases the risk of preventable diseases and child mortality, reflecting not just policy failure but also a broader systemic failure.”
He alleged that “political instability and shifting priorities” during the 18-month tenure of the interim government have heavily impacted Bangladesh’s health sector.
“The only thing the Yunus administration has focused on is suppressing the Awami League, while the present authorities remain engaged in a blame game rather than addressing the issue,” the Awami League leader noted.
Highlighting the wider implications, Arafat warned that the resurgence of diseases like measles poses both domestic and international risks.
He said that if the outbreaks worsen, Bangladesh could face “travel restrictions or negative health classifications, affecting education, labour mobility, and ultimately the economy”.
“The Yunus administration should be held accountable for bringing the nation to the brink of disaster,” he concluded.
--IANS
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