Bangladesh has recorded 194 child deaths due to measles in an outbreak that began last month, while the number of suspected child cases has exceeded 28,000, government data showed on Thursday.

Between three and five children have died from the disease every day for the past week. Five children died on Wednesday, including three in the capital, Dhaka, and another five on Thursday.

The government said it has launched a robust nationwide vaccination programme since the outbreak began on March 15, the worst in the South Asian nation for decades.

“Our target is to vaccinate 18 million children,” health department spokesman Zahid Raihan told AFP.

“So far, we have covered a little over one-fourth of our target, and it may take another two weeks to see the impact of this vaccination programme.”

Md Sajib and Afsin Meem lost their three-year-old son, their only child, on Tuesday, and a photograph of a relative carrying his tiny body along a road has been shared extensively on news sites.

“After noticing a rash on our son’s skin, we rushed him to the hospital. Five days later, we brought him back dead,” Sajib told AFP. “He had a high fever and breathing difficulties.”

Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is spread through coughs and sneezes.

It can affect people of any age but is most common among children, and can cause complications that include brain swelling and severe respiratory problems.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, speaking in parliament on Wednesday, blamed the previous government of Sheikh Hasina, who was toppled in a 2024 revolution, and a subsequent caretaker administration for failing to vaccinate the population.

Bangladesh has made significant advancements in vaccinations to tackle infectious diseases, but a measles drive that was due in June 2024 was delayed by the deadly uprising that toppled Hasina.

“The autocratic government that we ousted, together with political parties both inside and outside parliament, did not procure vaccines,” said Rahman, who took power in February.

Rahman said Bangladesh was receiving assistance from the UN children’s agency, but there was a shortage of testing kits.