Dhaka, Oct 18 (IANS) As Bangladesh grapples with an unprecedented measles outbreak, seven children died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the 24 hours until 8 am (local time) on Sunday, raising the total number of fatalities from the ongoing outbreak to 1,196.

All seven fatalities have been classified as measles-suspected deaths in Bangladesh, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). With the latest fatalities, the total number of suspected measles fatalities rose to 1,092, while the number of confirmed deaths remained the same at 104, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

As many as 1,254 suspected measles cases were reported in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till Sunday morning, raising the suspected cases to 213,244. During the same period, 65 new confirmed cases were reported, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 23,122.

As many as 189,484 suspected measles patients have been admitted to hospitals in Bangladesh since March 15. Among those, 181,756 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals, according to the DGHS, Dhaka Tribune reported.

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 Benazir Ahmed, former Director of Disease Control at DGHS, last week, The Daily Star reported.

Public health experts have 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.

Earlier, a leading international advocacy group described the 2026 measles outbreak as one of Bangladesh’s worst public health crises in recent history, highlighting the concern that the disease is preventable through vaccination.

In its report titled ‘Preventable Tragedy: Bangladesh's 2026 Measles Outbreak’, Canada-based Global Centre for Democratic Governance (GCDG) said that although the measles outbreak appeared sudden to the public, it was not an unexpected event from an "epidemiological perspective".

The report noted that the crisis resulted from a combination of disruptions to vaccine supply and health programs in 2024-2025 during the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, along with missed routine vaccinations, cancellations of scheduled supplementary immunisation programmes, administrative delays in vaccine procurement, and a failure to promptly identify at-risk populations.

--IANS

akl/vd