UNICEF has said it repeatedly warned the interim government of Bangladesh about a potential measles outbreak due to shortages in vaccine supply, raising the issue both in writing and through multiple meetings with health ministry officials.
Speaking at a press briefing at its Dhaka office, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Rana Flowers said the agency had sent five to six official letters to the authorities and held around 10 meetings during the interim government’s tenure to highlight concerns over vaccine availability.
She said the organisation had been alerting the government since 2024 that delays in vaccine procurement could lead to a serious public health crisis.
“From 2024 across 2025 into 2026, we sent letters and held meetings signalling that this was a problem and that vaccine orders needed to be placed. They could not,” she said.
Rana Flowers, who joined the UNICEF Dhaka office on 5 August 2024, added that the issue was consistently raised in discussions with health authorities over this period.
She also noted that UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban, who visited Bangladesh in August last year, brought up the matter during a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to her, the shortage was not due to lack of funding, as resources were allocated in the national budget through the Ministry of Finance. Instead, she said, delays were linked to procurement decisions and administrative processes.
“That will be the subject of an investigation, which I welcome,” she added, referring to the ongoing review of the situation.
UNICEF’s remarks come amid growing concern over measles cases and public health response capacity in Bangladesh.
