DHAKA, May 20: UNICEF today said Bangladesh has been facing a prolonged shortage of routine measles vaccines since last year despite repeated warnings, noting that delays in procurement have significantly worsened the country’s growing outbreak, which has resulted in hundreds of fatalities.
The details were shared during a press conference held in Dhaka by UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Rana Flowers.
According to UNICEF, Bangladesh received only 1.78 crore doses of measles vaccines between August and November 2025, which is less than roughly one-third of its annual requirement.
As per the agency, Bangladesh normally requires close to 7 crore doses each year, but routine immunisation efforts remained disrupted for an extended period because vaccine supplies did not arrive on time.
It further said that it had repeatedly warned the government about the growing risk of shortages, raising the issue in at least 10 meetings since 2024 and sending five to six formal letters to authorities.
Both the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were informed about the situation, UNICEF said.
“The prolonged disruption in routine immunisation left many children without vaccination coverage, increasing the risk of measles transmission and contributing to a large-scale outbreak,” the agency stated.
UNICEF stressed that the crisis was not caused by a lack of funding, but rather by delays in procurement procedures that slowed vaccine acquisition and delivery.
The agency said the situation has started to improve after fresh measles vaccine supplies arrived in May.
According to Rana Flowers, the government and development partners are now focusing on accelerating immunisation efforts, reaching high-risk children and strengthening disease surveillance systems as Bangladesh continues battling the outbreak.
(UNI)
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