Dhaka: In a rare display of public accountability, Bangladesh’s Health Minister, Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain, has taken personal responsibility for the devastating measles outbreak that has claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 children over the past seven months.
Responding to a pointed question from a journalist on Monday regarding whether the current government or the previous interim administration was to blame for the tragedy, a visibly moved Hossain stated, “The responsibility is mine. Hang me. This is my failure. But I have made efforts. It is not a failure of my government.”
The health minister also used the opportunity to address circulating rumours regarding the sourcing of vaccines. He firmly pushed back against claims that Bangladesh was overly reliant on Indian imports, clarifying that only 8% of the country’s measles vaccines came from India. The vast majority of the supply, he noted, was procured from Germany, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Indonesia. He emphasised that all vaccines administered were rigorously tested, approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), and supplied through UNICEF.
Hossain highlighted a critical issue exacerbating the crisis, noting that most of the children currently hospitalised with measles had not received any vaccinations. A substantial portion of these patients are infants under six months of age.
While Hossain accepted personal blame, his colleague, State Minister for Health MA Muhit, directed sharp criticism at the previous interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus. Muhit accused the former regime of “extreme administrative negligence,” citing their failure to execute a scheduled nationwide measles vaccination campaign in late 2024 or early 2025. Muhit further alleged that the ministry lacked any emergency stock of vaccines when the current Tarique Rahman-led BNP government assumed office in February, just 15 days before the unprecedented outbreak began.
The last successful mass immunisation drive against measles in Bangladesh took place in 2020. Subsequent efforts have been derailed, largely due to periods of intense political unrest. To investigate these systemic failures and establish accountability, the government has formed a three-member commission, which includes a former judge and a medical expert.