202,000 cases, 1,147 deaths: Bangladesh faces world’s worst measles outbreak

Bangladesh is struggling to contain what has emerged as the worst measles outbreak this year, with more than 1,100 deaths reported amid falling vaccination coverage, gaps in healthcare outreach and weaknesses in official data, according to a Reuters report.The country reported 202,000 suspected measles cases, including 22,000 laboratory-confirmed infections, between the outbreak’s start in mid-March and October 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. At least 1,147 people have died, with children under five accounting for 94% of reported deaths.“This is a real warning to every country,” Mark Jit, a WHO vaccine adviser and professor at New York University’s School of Global Public Health, told Reuters, stressing that preventing outbreaks through vaccination is easier, cheaper and safer than responding to a crisis.Vaccination coverage falls below critical thresholdBangladesh’s response was hampered by incomplete data on children, inadequate preparation for emergency vaccination and difficulties reaching parents in remote communities.WHO and UNICEF estimated…