The failure of basic public health infrastructure has created a strategic vulnerability in Bangladesh. Hundreds of children have died within months as measles cases soar, a crisis that British aid agencies are now scrambling to address. This is not a natural disaster. It is a predictable consequence of disrupted immunisation programmes, a threat vector that hostile actors exploit to destabilise fragile states.
Measles is a highly contagious virus, but it is entirely preventable with two doses of the MMR vaccine. The World Health Organisation reports a 79% drop in global measles cases between 2000 and 2016, but progress has stalled. In Bangladesh, routine immunisation coverage has fallen below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity, according to UNICEF data. The result is an epidemic that has overwhelmed local hospitals and claimed over 1,200 lives in the past three months, most of them under five.
British aid agencies, including Save the Children and the UK Committee for UNICEF, have launched emergency vaccination campaigns. The Department for International Development has pledged £5 million in emergency funding. But logistics remain a critical concern. Cold chain storage for vaccines is fragile in a country where power outages are routine. The military, if deployed, could secure supply routes and provide helicopter support to remote areas. But the current response lacks the strategic pivot needed to match the scale of the threat.
This crisis signals deeper weaknesses. The COVID-19 pandemic diverted resources and disrupted health systems globally. In Bangladesh, the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar remain a tinderbox for disease outbreaks. Measles does not respect borders or ceasefires. The Islamic State and other non-state actors have in the past exploited public health failures to gain influence by providing alternative care. The UK must view this not as a charity case but as a stability operation.
The intelligence failure here is clear: early warning systems flagged falling vaccination rates two years ago. Action was slow. Now children are dying. The UK has the capacity to deploy mobile health teams and field hospitals, but bureaucratic inertia delays decisions. The Ministry of Defence should be on standby to provide strategic airlift if requested by the Bangladeshi government.
The numbers are stark: 12,000 cases confirmed in July alone. Case fatality rates are 3.5%, far higher than the global average. Malnutrition is a compounding factor. The UK must move beyond humanitarian appeals and into theatre of operations coordination. This is a winnable fight, but only with a focus on logistics, intelligence, and readiness. The next outbreak is already incubating.
British aid agencies must demand proper risk assessments and supply chain integrity. The lives of hundreds of children are the metric of success. The cost of inaction is measured in body bags.
