Bangladesh launches measles-rubella vaccination drive after outbreak claims over 1,000
Bangladesh has launched an urgent measles-rubella vaccination drive after the country's worst-ever outbreak claimed over 1,000 lives.
The campaign is focused on reaching 3.4 million children aged 6 months to 59 months who missed earlier shots, with the minimum vaccination age now lowered from nine months to six months because of the crisis.
Measles outbreak strains Bangladesh health services
This outbreak, the biggest in the world, is putting growing pressure on health services already stretched by dengue cases and has exposed major gaps in recent vaccination coverage.
Since March, nearly 187,000 suspected measles cases have been reported, leading to 21,099 confirmed infections and more than 165,000 hospitalizations.
Experts say vaccinating every eligible child is crucial to slow transmission and prevent future outbreaks in Bangladesh.