Where this was said
Bangladesh Measles Crisis: A Vaccine Supply Chain Failure
At 1:43 · chapter starts 1:10
The broadcast pivots to a global health crisis unfolding in Bangladesh, where measles has killed more than 750 children — a catastrophic toll traced back to a single policy decision. When Bangladesh's interim government took power in late 2024, it broke from the standard practice of procuring vaccines through UNICEF, which handles roughly 2.2 billion doses per year globally [1] — Dr. Efrain Lemango "Bangladesh's interim government broke from UNICEF in late 2024 to buy vaccines independently — and the procurement collapsed. The resulting…" 01:29 . The country tried to go it alone — and the effort collapsed. UNICEF's global chief of immunization, Dr. Efrain Lemango, described the cascade of failure: delays, a procurement process that ultimately did not succeed, and extended stock cuts that left clinics without vaccines entirely. The result was an unprotected population exposed to a highly infectious disease. Meanwhile, new UNICEF data shows that only 77% of infants worldwide were fully vaccinated against measles in 2025 [2] — Dave Mattingly "77% measles vaccination rate: UNICEF data shows 77% of infants in the US and worldwide were fully vaccinated against measles in 2025." 01:11 — a figure that, as Bangladesh illustrates, can drop fast when supply chains fail. Reporter Dury Bhaskaran notes that the new government has moved to vaccinate children, but much of the damage is already irreversible.
UNICEF data shows 77% of infants in the US and worldwide were fully vaccinated against measles in 2025.
Only 77% of infants globally were fully vaccinated against measles in 2025, according to UNICEF data. That gap has proven deadly — measles has killed more than 750 children in Bangladesh alone.
Measles has killed more than 750 children in Bangladesh in a major outbreak linked to vaccine supply disruptions.
Bangladesh's interim government broke from UNICEF in late 2024 to buy vaccines independently — and the procurement collapsed. The resulting stock cuts left clinics without measles vaccines and helped fuel an outbreak that has killed more than 750 children.
UNICEF handles procurement of approximately 2.2 billion vaccine doses per year for countries around the world.
Bangladesh's interim government tried to procure vaccines independently in late 2024, leading to delays, procurement failure, and extended stock cuts.
