More than 500 children have died in an outbreak that the world is virtually ignoring

A measles outbreak in Bangladesh has produced more than 60,000 suspected cases and 528 suspected measles-related deaths since mid-March. Most illnesses and deaths involve children under age five. Healthcare systems are under severe strain, and families report difficulty obtaining care, including being turned away by overwhelmed hospitals. Measles can cause serious complications such as pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, and blindness, even though many recover within weeks. Malnutrition increases vulnerability to measles, and Bangladesh has high levels of stunting and acute malnutrition among young children. Worldwide, nearly 100,000 people died of measles in 2024.

"Since the virus took off in mid-March, the country has tallied more than 60,000 suspected cases and 528 suspected measles-related deaths. The vast majority of the sick and dead are children under age 5. "It is huge, with just so much strain on the [health care] systems," says Rahman, who is the International Rescue Committee's deputy regional director for Asia."

"Miftahul Zannat's family knows how strained the healthcare system is firsthand. The 2-year-old developed classic symptoms of measles including a fever and rash as well as vomiting and diarrhea. After two hospital stays near their home in Bhairab, Zannat was not improving. She became lethargic and refused to eat. "Once she fell ill, she became completely bedridden. She couldn't even open her eyes," says her father, Mohammad Kamal."

"Her worried parents, like many other families, took her to the capital, Dhaka, where hospitals have the capacity to care for patients with a severe case. The journey took several hours. But once there, the child was turned away by two facilities already overwhelmed by the crush of measles patients. While most people who get measles recover in a few weeks, the infection can be dangerous. It can lead to complications and lasting damage, including pneumonia, inflammation of the brain and blindness."

"And worldwide, in 2024, nearly 100,000 people died of the disease. Children who are malnourished are especially vulnerable to measles and in Bangladesh, 1 in 4 children under age 5 are stunted, meaning their growth is impaired because of undernutrition, and 1 in 10 suffer from acute malnutrition."

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