Bangladesh measles outbreak kills more than 1,000 children

At least 1,002 children have died from measles in Bangladesh since an outbreak began in March, health officials said, as the country grapples with what the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described as the world’s largest ongoing measles outbreak.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported 187,484 measles infections on Wednesday, highlighting the scale of the health crisis.

Bangladesh launched a nationwide emergency vaccination drive in April in an effort to contain the outbreak.

The campaign vaccinated around 18 million children, but official figures indicate that approximately four million children were not reached.