Staff Correspondent

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh recorded the highest number of measles cases in the world during the six-month period from December last year to May this year, with 42,174 suspected cases reported.

The WHO's July surveillance report states that a total of 186,000 measles cases were recorded across 165 countries during the same period. Bangladesh topped the list, followed by India (26,607), Yemen (14,521), Mexico (12,495), Pakistan (11,037), Cameroon (9,653), Kazakhstan (7,730), Guatemala (6,832), Angola (6,815), and Sudan (5,766).

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh identified 119,448 suspected measles cases between March 15 and July 21. Of these, 14,708 cases were laboratory confirmed. During the same period, 797 children died from measles or measles-related complications, including 95 laboratory-confirmed measles deaths.

Health experts say the sharp decline in vaccination coverage in recent years is the primary reason behind the outbreak. In 2025, routine measles vaccination coverage dropped to 59 percent, far below the 95 percent coverage required with two vaccine doses to prevent widespread transmission.

The WHO report also notes that most of the infected patients are children, and the majority of infants under one year of age who contracted measles had not received any dose of the vaccine. Research conducted by Bangladesh Shishu Hospital found that nearly 80 percent of hospitalized children with measles were unvaccinated.

Public health expert Dr. Mushtaq Hossain warned that Bangladesh may also have the highest number of measles-related deaths in the world this year. Professor Mahmudur Rahman, former Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said that several years of inadequate vaccination coverage have weakened the country's herd immunity, contributing to the large-scale outbreak.

Experts stressed that unless children who have missed routine vaccinations are quickly identified and immunized, Bangladesh will continue to face the risk of major measles outbreaks in the future.