On May 21, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Bangladesh reported an additional 1,423 suspected measles cases and 208 confirmed cases.
This brings the total suspected cases to 59,279 since March 15 and 8,275 confirmed cases. More than 46,000 cases were admitted for hospitalization.
Seven additional suspected (4) and confirmed (3) measles deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours. This brings the measles death toll to 488 (83 confirmed) since the outbreak began approximately nine weeks ago.
The capital city of Dhaka has reported the most cases with 28,599 since the beginning of the outbreak.
According to UNICEF, following the initial emergency vaccination campaign in 30 high-risk upazilas that started on 5 April, the Government of Bangladesh launched a nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign targeting 18 million children, on 20 April 2026.
The campaign will run until 10 May at Upazila and municipality level and up to 20 May in the remaining eight city corporations.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world.
It is caused by a virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs (respiratory tract) and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a spotty rash all over the body.
Measles also weakens the immune system, making it vulnerable to other infections. It can lead to severe disease like pneumonia, breathing and neurological complications, diarrhoea, deafness, blindness, and brain swelling (encephalitis), which can be fatal.
Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children under 5 years old.
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