Bangladesh’s measles surge: a warning for India

Bangladesh’s current measles emergency is a reminder that this virus can regroup quickly. World Health Organization and UNICEF-backed reporting from early April described a sharp surge in transmission, with the country launching an emergency measles-rubella campaign after more than 100 child deaths and thousands of suspected cases. The immediate drivers appear to be familiar ones: immunity gaps, missed routine doses, vulnerable infants, and disruption in vaccine delivery after political instability and stock-management problems.

WHO’s global surveillance over the past decade shows that Bangladesh is part of a much wider pattern. In late 2019, WHO’s Disease Outbreak News reported large outbreaks in Madagascar, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the DRC alone reporting more than 250,000 suspected cases and over 5,000 deaths. In 2022-2023, the WHO documented outbreaks in Nepal and Ethiopia. In 2025, the WHO reported major measles outbreaks in the Region of the Americas, and a nationwide outbreak in Morocco.