Seven more children die as Bangladesh measles toll reaches 1,162
Seven more children died with signs of measles in Bangladesh in the 24 hours to 8 a.m. Sunday, raising the death toll to 1,162, health officials said. The daily update counted about 1,180 new suspected cases plus 93 confirmed ones. The country has logged more than 205,000 suspected cases since mid-March.
Seven more children died with measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the 24 hours to 8 a.m. Sunday, bringing the outbreak's death toll to 1,162, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The Business Standard, Sarabangla and UNB reported the figures from the agency's Oct. 11 update.
All seven new deaths were classed as suspected measles deaths, with no new confirmed deaths, UNB reported. One child died in each of the Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna and Rangpur divisions, and three died in Sylhet, Sarabangla reported. Of the 1,162 deaths since March 15, 104 were confirmed by lab tests. The other 1,058 were children who died with measles-like symptoms but were not confirmed.
Case counts use the same two groups. In the latest 24 hours, 1,180 people showed measles-like symptoms, and 93 more cases were confirmed by lab tests, the outlets reported. That is why some reports give 1,273 new cases, which is both groups added together. Since March 15, the country has counted 205,028 suspected cases and 22,421 confirmed ones. A total of 182,047 suspected patients have been admitted to hospitals, and 174,469 of them have recovered.
The outbreak has grown into a crisis for a country that was once moving toward wiping out measles. Last year, Bangladesh recorded just 132 cases and no deaths, Al Jazeera reported in September. Vaccine coverage had slipped for years, and political upheaval after the 2024 uprising led to delays in buying vaccines and shortages in 2024 and 2025, a former government scientist told the outlet.
An emergency vaccine drive began in April, and nearly 20 million children had been vaccinated by early September. Still, babies are at high risk. At one Dhaka hospital, 31 of 57 who died were younger than nine months, the age for the first routine shot, and 47 had received no measles vaccine, Al Jazeera reported.
What we know: Seven more children died in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, bringing the total to 1,162, of which 104 were lab-confirmed.
What we don't: How many of the 1,058 suspected deaths were truly caused by measles, and when the outbreak will start to slow.
Where outlets agree Sarabangla and UNB both report that seven more children died in the latest 24 hours, bringing the toll to 1,162.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.