“I feel so guilty for not vaccinating my child when I had the chance”

There has been a sharp rise in measles cases across Bangladesh recently and it is very concerning. Thousands of children are at serious risk, especially the youngest and the most vulnerable. The surge points to one start reality – too many children are still missing life-saving vaccines, which is leaving them exposed to a preventable disease.

Inside hospitals, the strain is impossible to ignore. Measles wards are packed beyond capacity. Parents have been rushing from one facility to another, desperate to get their child admitted. Doctors, nurses, and hospital staff are doing everything they can.

This month, we spoke to parents whose children are fighting measles at hospitals in Dhaka. Between fear and hope, they shared how they are feeling.

“We made a mistake by not vaccinating our child on time, and now she is going through so much pain. Please do not make the same mistake. Get your child vaccinated against measles,” says Suma, Anaiza’s mother.

Anaiza is just 1 year old. When she fell ill with high fever, diarrhoea, and breathing difficulties, her parents rushed her to the hospital. She spent four days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Their 9-year-old son was vaccinated against measles as a young child and did not fall sick.

Right after she was moved to the general measles ward, the child on the bed next to hers passed away. Suma recalls how that moment shook her as a mother.

On the day we met the family, Anaiza was showing signs of recovery. For the first time in days, Suma and her husband Alamin allowed themselves to feel hopeful.

Although the parents were aware of the measles-rubella vaccination campaign under the Government’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 2025, they missed it because Anaiza was unwell at the time. It is a decision they now regret.

National EPI provides two doses of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccines to children at 9 months and 15 months to protect them from this deadly disease. UNICEF supports EPI in procuring these vaccines, and they are provided free of cost.

“I want to tell every mother to get her child vaccinated on time. Right now, I just feel relieved because my child is getting discharged and going home today,” says Razia, Raizan’s mother.

7-month-old Raizan was admitted to DNCC Dedicated COVID-19 Hospital five days ago with a dangerously high fever of 105°C. He has been recovering slowly and the day we met him, Raizan was getting discharged. Razia plans to make sure he receives his measles-rubella vaccine as soon as he is eligible.

“I feel so guilty for not vaccinating my child when I had the chance. I wish no parent ever has to carry this feeling,” says Ayesha, Abdur’s mother. “I am waiting for him to open his eyes and look at me, just once. That will be enough to make me feel relieved.”

Ayesha travelled all the way from Comilla to Dhaka, going from one hospital to another, before DNCC Hospital admitted her son. Abdur Rahman is 20 months old and has been battling diarrhea, cough, high fever, rashes, and severe swelling in his eyes for three days. Along with measles, he has also been diagnosed with pneumonia.

His father, who works abroad, calls constantly, in tears, desperate for some good news. He had recently seen reports of the emergency measles vaccination campaign on TV and they are hoping to get Abdur vaccinated when the nationwide measles-rubella campaign begins.

“Only a mother will be able to understand how I am feeling right now. I just want my child to get better. Even if I have to take him to 10 more hospitals, I will. I can do anything for him,” says Jannat, Siam’s mother.

When 9-month-old Siam first developed rashes on his body, his family assumed it was an allergy. But his condition deteriorated. After visiting multiple hospitals, his mother Jannat was finally able to secure him a bed at DNCC Hospital, where he was diagnosed with measles and pneumonia.

Jannat is now counting the days until he recovers. Now that he is eligible, she says, she will make an appointment to get him vaccinated.

“If you see any rashes on your child’s body, take them to the hospital immediately. Do not take any chances. Just go,” says Sharmin, Abdur’s mother.

9-month-old Abdur was admitted to the measles ward six days ago, with fever, rashes on his face, and a persistent cough.

What his family initially assumed was an allergic reaction actually turned out to be measles rashes. It was Sharmin’s sister, who is a primary school teacher, who urged Sharmin to seek medical help immediately. That advice proved critical for Abdur’s survival. He, too, has been diagnosed with measles and pneumonia.

“Please get your children vaccinated. If you do not know when the measles-rubella vaccination campaign is happening, ask others, watch the news, find out,” says Omar Farook, Jaifa’s father. “I fear for other children who are not getting a chance to be admitted to a hospital,” adds Yasmin, Jaifa’s mother.

Omar and Yasmin arrived at the Infectious Disease hospital all the way from Keranigunj after being turned away from several others. With the measles ward stretched beyond capacity, 9-month-old Jaifa got treatment on a mattress laid out on the hospital corridor, without a fan amid Dhaka’s scorching heat.

Jaifa’s parents did not refuse vaccines, they simply did not know.

“In Dhaka, information reaches you,” says Omar. “But what about parents in villages and remote areas? They need to know as well. More should be done to promote the nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign.”

When we sat with Omar, his first question was about the dates for the next measles-rubella vaccination drive. Upon learning it would begin on 20 April 2026, he paused to note that down to memory. Omar and Yasmin are determined to get Jaifa vaccinated.

That day brought some good news. Jaifa was getting discharged. The same family that had arrived at the hospital exhausted and afraid, bade us farewell with smiles on their faces.

Vaccines work. They protect children from life-threatening and preventable diseases and their complications. When given on time, they can save lives.

Measles is highly contagious and spreads quickly. Children who have missed their vaccines and babies who are still too young to receive them are the most at risk. In an outbreak like this, every missed vaccine matters.

If you have any questions about vaccines, speak to a doctor and rely only on trusted sources. Do not let rumour or misinformation put your child at risk.

Following the initial emergency vaccination campaign in 30 high-risk upazilas that started on 5 April, the Government of Bangladesh launched a nationwide measles-rubella vaccination campaign targeting 18 million children, on 20 April 2026. The campaign will run until 10 May at Upazila and municipality level and up to 20 May in the remaining eight city corporations.

UNICEF is working hand in hand with the Government of Bangladesh, Gavi, the vaccine alliance, WHO, the United States, and other partners to ensure vaccines reach every child, especially the most vulnerable.

UNICEF extends our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones.