Measles kills 450 kids in Bangladesh; probe sought into Yunus’ vax policy

DHAKA: With measles killing over 450 kids in Bangladesh since mid-March, a court order has been sought for barring former interim govt chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and 24 others from leaving the country pending completion of probe into the shortage of measles vaccines during his tenure.

Though measles is highly preventable with two doses of vaccine — administered from age of nine months — Bangladesh allegedly had a severe shortage of vaccines between 2024 and 2025, when Yunus was chief of the interim govt.

In his PIL, filed before Bangladesh High Court and likely to be heard Monday, Supreme Court lawyer M Ashraful Islam has sought directives for govt to investigate the role of Yunus and the others over the measles vaccine issue.

Health experts and doctors under the banner of ‘Bangladesh Child Protection Initiative’ have blamed the interim govt and the then health administration for the vaccine shortage that triggered the outbreak. They demanded that Yunus and former health adviser Nurjahan Begum face trial.