Bangladesh: MSF responds to measles outbreak in Cox’s Bazar

30 April 2026 - Following a nationwide surge in measles cases in Bangladesh, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has increased its medical response in Cox’s Bazar. MSF teams are providing care to affected children from Rohingya refugee camps and surrounding host communities, while also supporting an ongoing vaccination campaign.

Since January 2026, measles cases have risen sharply across Bangladesh, affecting nearly all 64 districts. Cox’s Bazar, home to more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in the world’s largest refugee settlement, is among the most at-risk areas, where overcrowded and precarious living conditions increase the likelihood of rapid transmission and complications among an already vulnerable population.

According to health sector data, more than 330 suspected and 40 laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been recorded in the camps, including three associated deaths. In neighbouring host communities, almost 160 suspected cases have been reported.

“Measles cases had been reported regularly in the district earlier this year, but we observed a sharp increase from March, accelerating further in April,” says Mieke Steenssens, MSF Country Medical Coordinator. “Our teams have been mobilised both inside and outside the camps to provide care for affected patients—most of them children under five, many presenting with severe pneumonia.”

In April alone, MSF treated 284 measles patients across its facilities in Cox’s Bazar—four times the number treated during the first three months of the year combined. Of these, 82 required inpatient care due to the severity of their condition.

“On 19 April, we opened a new isolation unit in Jamtoli camp, which serves as a referral centre for all camps” says Mieke Steenssens. “It is already at full capacity, and we are preparing to double its bed capacity.”

The proportion of severe cases is concerning. At Goyalmara Mother and Children Hospital, 40 per cent of patients with measles required inpatient care, with some needing intensive care. At Kutupalong Hospital, 15 of 71 patients admitted over a 20-day period required hospitalisation.

While extremely harsh living conditions in the camps increase the risk of complications and comorbidities among Rohingya children, low vaccination coverage in both the camps and surrounding communities remains a major concern.

“Among patients with confirmed measles cases in the camps, around three-quarters were unvaccinated,” says Steenssens. “And the proportion of unvaccinated children in host communities is also very concerning. This calls for increased immunization efforts”

Given the urgency to curb the outbreak, MSF teams are supporting the vaccination campaign launched by health authorities in Rohingya camps on 26 April. Acting swiftly is vital as measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases in the world, transmitted through respiratory droplets. It primarily affects children and can lead to severe complications—including pneumonia, malnutrition, and death—particularly in overcrowded settings with limited access to healthcare.

“The disease is preventable with two doses of a safe, low-cost, and highly effective vaccine,” says Steenssens. “However, preventing outbreaks requires at least 95 per cent vaccination coverage. As we are seeing, coverage remains too low in both the camps and surrounding communities. Alongside reactive mass vaccination campaigns, sustained investment in routine immunisation programmes is essential—one cannot succeed without the other.”

MSF teams in Cox’s Bazar are providing care for measles patients across several facilities in and around the Rohingya camps, including Jamtoli and Hakimpara primary healthcare centers, Hospital on the Hill, Kutupalong Hospital, and Goyalmara Mother and Children Hospital. Since 1 January, our teams treated 350 patients with suspected or confirmed measles, including 103 with complications. MSF also conducts health promotion activities and supports the ongoing 10-day measles and rubella vaccination campaign.

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