Yunus-led govt ignored 10 UNICEF vaccine warnings as measles killed 470+ children in Bangladesh

THE CHT NEWS, DESK

UNICEF said on Wednesday that Bangladesh ignored repeated warnings over an impending vaccine shortage before a deadly measles outbreak swept across the country, killing at least 475 children and exposing deep failures in the country’s immunisation procurement system.

The warning came during a press briefing titled “Press Conference on Measles Outbreak Situation and Ongoing Response Efforts” held at the UNICEF Bangladesh JPG Conference Room in Dhaka, where UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Rana Flowers disclosed that the agency had repeatedly alerted authorities since 2024 about the risk of a nationwide vaccine crisis.

“An epidemic never happens overnight. Situations like this emerge because of a series of specific events, especially in the case of vaccine-preventable diseases,” Rana told reporters.

According to UNICEF, Bangladesh received only 17.8 million doses of measles vaccine between August and November 2025 — barely one-third of the roughly 70 million doses required annually for routine immunisation coverage.

The shortage severely disrupted vaccination programmes nationwide, leaving millions of children vulnerable to infection and accelerating the spread of measles across the country.

Health authorities said 11 more children died from measles and measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, raising the death toll to 475 since March 15 this year.

UNICEF said the crisis was not caused by funding shortages but by prolonged procurement delays linked to changes in the government’s vaccine purchasing process.

Responding to a question during the briefing, Rana said delays began after the interim government decided that vaccines would be purchased through an open tender process.

“After the current government took office, one reason for the delay in procurement was a cabinet decision to purchase vaccines through open tender,” she said.

“That decision was taken last year. I do not think such a decision had ever been taken before, though you may verify that with the Health Ministry.”

Rana said UNICEF had formally warned the government multiple times before the shortage became critical.

“We sent five or six letters between 2024 and February 2026. The last letter reached just before the new government assumed office. We hoped the letter would be waiting on the desk of whoever took responsibility next,” she said.

“We repeatedly pushed for urgent meetings. I can say that I personally met interim advisers and officials at least 10 times.

My staff and I told them we were worried. Look at my face — I was worried that the country was heading towards a vaccine crisis.”

“It was clear that if vaccines could not be brought into the country, problems would emerge,” she added.

Rana said UNICEF had already forecast the risk of vaccine shortages in 2024 and warned that the disruption could affect multiple vaccine-preventable diseases over the following two years.

“We kept reminding them that they were moving toward a crisis,” she said.

She also defended UNICEF’s centralised global vaccine procurement system, saying vaccines required a different purchasing approach than ordinary medical supplies because of strict safety and quality standards.

“When you are buying vaccines, you are not simply purchasing antibiotics for 100,000 people. You are trying to reach a much larger population,” Rana said.

“You must ensure the vaccines are approved by the World Health Organization. You do not chase the cheapest vaccine. You choose vaccines with proven effectiveness and no harmful side effects.”

She said UNICEF maintains direct relationships with global vaccine manufacturers and regularly verifies vaccine quality standards.

“Because UNICEF purchases in very large volumes on behalf of most countries in the world, we can secure lower prices.

We know that vaccines cannot be procured cheaper through separate tendering processes than the prices UNICEF already receives,” she said.

The outbreak has placed enormous pressure on Bangladesh’s healthcare system, with hospitals in several districts struggling to manage rising admissions of infected children suffering from fever, pneumonia, dehydration and respiratory complications.

Public health experts warned that rebuilding immunity gaps caused by the prolonged disruption in routine vaccination could take months, even as vaccine supplies began stabilising this month following new shipments into the country.

The government, supported by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and Gavi, is now expanding emergency vaccination campaigns and strengthening surveillance systems in an effort to contain the outbreak and prevent further deaths.