Bangladesh sees record measles deaths; travel ban sought on Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh, the champion of vaccination, has been left distressed by the most lethal wave of measles that has left a record number of people dead. Over 250 people, mostly children, have died with measles-like symptoms since March 15. Amid the deaths, which is the highest in two decades, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a travel ban on former chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and others of his interim government.

"Since March 15 this year, 43 people have died of measles. During the same period, the number of suspected measles deaths is 216," reported Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha on April 26. At least 91% of the measles cases are among children between one and 14, reported The Daily Star.

Bangladesh has started an emergency vaccination drive on Sunday after 7,500 cases of measles were reported since March 15. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the measles outbreak had gripped 58 of 64 districts of Bangladesh across all eight divisions. It said around 79% of the cases were seen in children under five.

A statement by Bangladesh Health and Family Welfare Minister, Sardar Sakhawat Hossain, added to confusion amid the crisis, reported the Prothom Alo. Hossain said that the last measles vaccines were administered eight years ago.

Hossain is part of the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh ist Party (BNP) government. The BNP came to power in February 2026 after Bangladesh saw Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for 15 months. Before that, Sheikh Hasina's Awami League was in power since 2009, until it was ousted in August 2024 after violent protests.

The health minister blamed both the Hasina and Yunus regimes for the measles outbreak.

"The outbreak is caused by the complete mismanagement and failures of past governments [Awami and Yunus] – specifically the fascist government and the most recent interim government," Hossain was reported as saying by The Daily Star. He said their "poor decisions" caused shortages in vaccine stockpiles, affecting vaccines for measles and six other diseases.

Bangladesh conducts a special vaccination drive against measles every four years. The last special drive was in 2020, Shahriar Sajjad, deputy director of the Health Department, told BBC Bangla. He blamed the Covid pandemic and the "political situation" for the disruption in the special vaccination drive.

According to the Prothom Alo report, the vaccination rate, including for measles, for children aged 12 months dropped to 59.6% in 2025. This was when the Yunus-led interim government was in power.

The immunisation rate under the Bangladesh government's Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) ranged from a minimum of 89% to over 103% between 2017 and 2023. It was 86.6% in 2024.

A Supreme Court lawyer, M Ashraful Islam, served a notice to the government on April 6 seeking a travel ban on Muhammad Yunus and members of his government.

The legal notice alleged their role in an "unlawful and malicious" initiative to transfer the measles vaccination drive from a government programme to the private sector, according to a report in The Business Standard of Bangladesh.

"A demand has been raised to form an investigation committee into the alleged involvement in the unlawful initiative to transfer the vaccination system for a disease like measles from the state to the private sector," the legal notice read, according to the report.

Other than Yunus, the travel ban was sought against all advisers of the interim government, including Asif Nazrul, Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Nurjahan Begum, as well as former press secretary Shafiqul Alam and all relevant former personal assistants.

The High Court on Monday asked the Bangladesh government to explain within four weeks why its failure to prevent the measles outbreak "should not be declared illegal", reported NewAgeBD.

The High Court, while hearing a public interest litigation filed by a Supreme Court lawyer, also asked the authorities to ensure "adequate and uninterrupted supply of vaccines, syringes, and other logistics." It sought an action-taken report in two weeks.

The deaths, mostly of children, have shaken entire Bangladesh, which had made strong gains due to its mass immunisation programme.

"Bangladesh has a strong history of high immunisation coverage, but even small disruptions can lead to the gradual accumulation of immunity gaps over time," the WHO said.

The political unrest in 2024 and the decisions taken by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government are being blamed for the death of over 250 people, mostly children, due to measles in Bangladesh.

- Ends