Measles is resurging in Bangladesh—but this outbreak was entirely preventable

For many years, Bangladesh has prided itself on its strong childhood vaccination programme.1 The country has been recognised as a global leader for its expanded programme on immunisation which, since the 2010s, has achieved the milestone of over 80% coverage of all childhood vaccines. And after a combined measles rubella vaccine was introduced in 2012, the country maintained between 90% and 95% coverage up to 2025, apart from a dip during the covid pandemic.2