Bangladesh measles response reaches 18 million children vaccinated, UNICEF says

Eighteen million children have now been reached in Bangladesh’s race to blunt a measles outbreak, a scale that health officials and aid groups say is beginning to change the trajectory of the disease. United Nations children’s agency UNICEF country chief Rana Flowers said this week that the vaccination campaign had reached 18 million children as of May 2026, underscoring the breadth of the nationwide push as clinics and mobile teams work to close immunity gaps. ^[1]

The effort is part of a mass vaccination drive rolled out across the country of about 175 million people, aimed at containing transmission by rapidly increasing coverage among children most at risk. The campaign’s reported reach reflects both the urgency of the outbreak response and the logistical challenge of delivering doses quickly across dense cities and more remote communities. ^[2]

Bangladesh’s government has said the outbreak is now contained, pointing to declining case counts in several previously hard-hit areas, a sign officials argue that intensified immunization and surveillance are paying off. The government’s assessment comes as the response continues into May 2026, with the aim of preventing flare-ups in pockets where immunity remains uneven. ^[2]