Bangladesh's measles outbreak has killed 849 children

849 children · dead in the 2026 measles outbreak · installedmeasured · Bangladesh DGHS via Think Global Health, 2026-08-06 — DGHS count as of 2026-08-04; the 849 combines confirmed and suspected measles deaths and DGHS does not split them. WHO provisional case data (42,780) differs from DGHS.

The health directorate counts 131,946 suspected cases and 16,531 confirmed as of Aug 4, across all 64 districts. Children under five are more than 80% of infections.

Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services counted 131,946 suspected measles cases, 16,531 confirmed infections and at least 849 child deaths as of August 4. Transmission has been reported in all 64 districts. Children younger than five account for more than 80% of infections, and infants younger than nine months — too young for a first scheduled dose — are nearly a third of cases. It is the largest measles outbreak the country has seen in decades.

The cause is documented and it is not a new pathogen. Bangladesh normally procures around 70 million vaccine doses a year; in 2025 it secured 17.8 million. A nationwide campaign planned for late 2024 was postponed and then cancelled. That left successive birth cohorts unprotected, and measles is contagious enough that it finds them. WHO and UNICEF coverage data for 2023-2025 put Bangladesh below 90% for both first and second doses, against the roughly 95% needed to stop transmission. The emergency response targeted 18 million children aged six months to five years, starting April 5 in high-risk upazilas and going nationwide on April 20.

Two honest notes on the numbers. The 849 deaths combine confirmed and suspected cases and the directorate does not split them. And WHO's provisional surveillance count of 42,780 cases differs substantially from the national figure, which is normal in a large outbreak and is a reason to treat any single total as provisional. Our automated pull surfaced none of this.

Source: Think Global Health