Dhaka: Sixteen children died from measles-like symptoms in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till 8:00am on Sunday, marking the second highest death toll in a single day since the outbreak began in March last year. This follows a grim pattern, as the country recorded a similar high with 13 deaths from measles and related symptoms on Saturday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the recent fatalities have raised the death toll to 528 since March 15, 2026. All 16 of the latest deaths have been classified as suspected cases by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The Dhaka division bore the brunt, with the highest number of suspected deaths reported at 10.
With these new figures, the total number of suspected measles deaths has reached 442, while the confirmed deaths remain at 86. DGHS data also revealed that 1,306 suspected measles cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall suspected cases to 63,813. Additionally, 128 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 8,622.
Since March 15, a total of 50,558 suspected measles patients have been hospitalised, and 46,214 of them have recovered. The country witnessed its highest single-day toll on May 4, when 17 deaths from measles and similar symptoms were recorded. This outbreak of the highly contagious yet preventable disease continues to challenge public health efforts in Bangladesh.