Bangladesh battles massive outbreaks of dengue and measles

Dengue fever According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Dhaka, at least six dengue patients died and 2,088 others were hospitalised in the past 24 hours, bringing the total cases and deaths to 112,400 and 348, respectively. September has been the deadliest month of the year so far, logging 43,774 hospital admissions and 148 deaths.

Significant outbreaks are hitting the Dhaka area and the Chattogram, Khulna, and Barishal divisions due to high population density and inadequate waste management. Typically a monsoon-season illness (June to September), dengue transmission in Bangladesh is increasingly shifting and extending into late autumn due to unseasonal rains and climate shifts.

Currently, 6,026 dengue patients are undergoing treatment at hospitals across the country. Bangladesh’s record dengue fever season in 2023 with Dr. Md Rafiul Hasan Measles The large measles outbreak in Bangladesh has yet to be contained.

Sonce mid-March, the country reported 203,000 suspected measles cases, including 23,000 confirmed cases have been reported. At least 1,196 people have died, with children under five accounting for 94% of reported deaths. National routine immunization coverage dropped below the 95% threshold required for herd immunity—falling to about 86% in 2025.

The decline was driven by political instability, administrative overhauls, healthcare disruptions following the end of long-standing political leadership in 2024, and funding challenges. Intensified nationwide campaigns have been deployed to reach millions of unimmunized children, though overwhelmed hospitals and persistent transmission continue to challenge containment. .