Measles vaccine shortage: UNICEF says it warned govt at least 10 times since 2024

UNICEF has said Bangladesh experienced a prolonged shortage of routine measles vaccines last year despite repeated warnings to the government.

According to the UN agency, delays in vaccine supply aggravated the situation even though it had issued at least 10 alerts to the government since 2024.

The information was shared at a press conference held at the UNICEF Bangladesh JPG Conference Room in Dhaka on Wednesday.

According to UNICEF, Bangladesh received 1.78 crore doses of measles vaccines between August and November 2025 — only around one-third of the country’s total annual requirement.

Although the country needs nearly seven crore doses each year, routine immunisation efforts remained disrupted for an extended period due to inadequate vaccine supply, it added.

This year, the measles situation in Bangladesh has worsened amid a surge in suspected and confirmed cases, along with a rising death toll.

Six more children died from measles and related symptoms in the last 24 hours till Wednesday morning, pushing the death toll past 480 in just over two months.