Bangladesh, May 21 -- Bangladesh faced a prolonged shortage of routine measles vaccines last year, contributing to a surge in cases and deaths, UNICEF said on 20 May. The agency added that it had issued at least ten warnings to the government since 2024 over the supply gaps.

Speaking at a press conference at UNICEF Bangladesh's JPG Conference Room, UNICEF Representative Rana Flowers said, "Every year, the government procures around 70 million vaccines. Last year, we refinanced and supplied 17.8 million routine Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) vaccines between August and November. This was less than one-third of the required total, which caused the shortage." She emphasised that the delay was due to procurement processes, not a la...