At a time when the country is grappling with a severe measles outbreak, with infections, hospitalisations, and deaths continuing to rise, another worrying problem has emerged: a shortage of measles testing kits. According to recent reports, the country’s only measles testing facility at the Institute of Public Health in Mohakhali has only a handful of kits left. At the current rate, testing could come to a halt after May 11 if fresh supplies do not arrive. The inability of the health authorities to ensure even basic testing capacity shows how fragile and inadequate our measles response has been.
While the laboratory should be testing hundreds of samples daily, it is now able to process only a fraction of that number. Thousands of samples from across the country are already pending, with more arriving every day. In many cases, delayed test results are prolonging hospital stays and hiding the true scale of infections and deaths. The shortage first emerged in April, but earlier warnings appear to have gone unheeded. The Institute of Public Health had reportedly requested additional kits in February, but supplies arrived only in mid-April, in insufficient quantities. Promised follow-up deliveries have also been delayed. These gaps point to a serious lack of urgency, both among national authorities responsible for procurement and international partners tasked with supply.
The centralisation of testing in Dhaka has also compounded the crisis. With no facilities at district or divisional levels, samples must be transported from across the country, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Paediatricians have warned that such delays are contributing to severe complications among children, including pneumonia, oxygen deficiency, and even neurological conditions. The lack of adequate infrastructure outside the capital, particularly ICU beds and oxygen support, has further worsened the outbreak.
Experts have repeatedly stressed that the outbreak has reached an alarming level and should be treated as an epidemic. This would have enabled a coordinated treatment protocol, rapid training and deployment of healthcare workers, and a systematic approach to testing, isolation, and patient care. Sadly, our health authorities have not taken such a step.
Since March 15, some 263 children have reportedly died in the country from measles or related symptoms, with 54 confirmed measles cases. Unless the outbreak is declared an emergency and addressed accordingly, more deaths are likely to follow.
We therefore urge the government to take all-out action to contain the outbreak and save children’s lives. Authorities must urgently secure adequate supplies of testing kits, explore alternative procurement channels, and remove bureaucratic barriers that delay response. Testing must be decentralised, district-level healthcare must be strengthened, and a coordinated national response put in place. Greater transparency, stronger inter-agency coordination, and meaningful engagement with both public and private healthcare providers are also essential. While the vaccination drive has made some progress, it must continue at pace. No more children’s lives should be lost to preventable gaps in the system.
