Bangladesh has been battling its largest measles outbreak on record since March, with the death toll linked to the disease reaching 999, according to infohub.kz.

According to Bangladesh's Ministry of Health, more than 166,000 suspected measles cases have been registered since the outbreak began in March 2026, of which 19,835 have been confirmed in the laboratory. A total of 999 deaths are linked to the disease, with 100 of them confirmed as deaths directly caused by measles. More than 146,000 people have been hospitalized.

As Reuters notes, the outbreak is linked to gaps in vaccination. Amid the political crisis of 2024–2025, routine immunization programs were postponed and vaccine supplies ran into problems. Children who missed their shots have been especially vulnerable, including infants under nine months old, who are still too young to be vaccinated.

Bangladesh had previously made significant progress against the infection. For most of the past decade, the country's measles vaccination coverage stood at no less than 95% — the level the World Health Organization considers necessary to prevent the disease from spreading. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the rates fell, and new immunization gaps later emerged.

In April, the authorities launched an emergency measles and rubella vaccination campaign targeting around 18 million children aged six months to five years. More than 19.7 million children have since been vaccinated.

The situation is complicated by a simultaneous rise in dengue fever cases. More than 45,000 dengue patients have been hospitalized in Bangladesh this year. On September 9, daily hospitalizations reached 1,571 and registered deaths hit nine, the highest figures since the start of the year.

At one state hospital in Dhaka designed for 1,350 patients, more than 2,350 people are currently being treated. Sixty beds have been allocated for measles patients, but some of the sick have to be placed on the floor.

Measles is one of the most contagious infections. It usually causes a high fever and a characteristic rash, but can lead to severe complications. Two doses of the vaccine are required for reliable protection against measles.

Kursiv Health previously reported that the first measles deaths had been recorded in the United States amid a record outbreak.