A measles outbreak has intensified in the Rohingya camps of Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, with more than 330 suspected and 40 laboratory-confirmed cases recorded in the first four months of 2026. Three deaths have been reported. The international medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has strengthened its operations, providing treatment to affected children and supporting ongoing vaccination efforts. MSF reported that the outbreak has spread across all 64 districts of Bangladesh, with the densely populated refugee camps posing heightened transmission risks.

MSF’s Country Medical Coordinator, Mike Stensens, said infections surged sharply from March, with most patients being children under five, many showing severe pneumonia symptoms. In April alone, MSF treated 284 measles patients, four times higher than in the first quarter, with 82 requiring hospitalization. A new isolation unit opened on April 19 in the Jamtoli camp has already reached full capacity. Low vaccination coverage remains the main concern, as nearly three-quarters of confirmed patients were unvaccinated.

To contain the outbreak, health authorities launched a measles and rubella vaccination campaign on April 26 across the Rohingya camps.