Measles outbreak in Bangladesh and supporting awareness and uptake of MMR in UK Bangladeshi communities
There is a currently a large measles outbreak in Bangladesh. It has killed over 200 children in the country since March and caused concern among Bangladeshi communities in the UK, particularly for families with close ties to the country.
GPs and practice teams play a vital role in providing reassurance, answering questions, and reinforcing the importance of timely measles vaccination (MMR/MMRV) for children and adults.
Measles is highly infectious and can cause serious complications, especially in young children. Two doses of the MMRV vaccine provide strong protection and are the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles locally.
Supporting conversations in general practice
We encourage GPs and practice teams to:
- Take opportunities to check vaccination status during consultations and offer catch‑up MMR where appropriate.
- Raise awareness of MMR vaccination with Bangladeshi families, particularly those travelling to or recently arriving from Bangladesh.
- Use trusted, culturally appropriate information when discussing vaccination, including addressing common concerns or misinformation.
- Share translated materials with patients and community partners where helpful.
Bangla‑language and other resources for patients and communities
A leaflet/poster produced by the London Bangladeshi network is attached and can be printed and used in practice.
You can find a Complete routine immunisations schedule from in Bengali and a MMR for all leaflet in Bengali to share with your partners and communities.
Find the UKHSA measles communication toolkit here , it includes resources like:
- Measles awareness posters for use by the general public in public spaces and posters for use during outbreaks.
- Blogs:
- Other publications and assets on MMR can be downloaded and ordered for free by healthcare professionals on the Find public health resources website. They are available in a number of languages.
- UKHSA resources on immunisation can be found on the UKHSA website.
- UKHSA have translated the warn and inform letter (to be used where it is necessary to contact a number of people who have been potentially exposed to a case of measles) into a number of community languages.
- UKHSA have also created an easy-read version that is also available online and for. These are available on the national measles guidelines GOV.UK page (scroll down to ‘translations of warn and inform letters’).
- You can find our translated childhood vaccination leaflets here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vcslAye2-szdBKTE7PJoH4Nc7uyX68bV?usp=sharing
- You can find our Bangla translated vaccination YouTube playlist which includes videos on childhood vaccinations, vaccine misinformation and the MMRV here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoTBiHRiMock_9vKm8OHgoJk5mR2yBgda&si=pKwgoxXr4wwrRJp1
- Our video about gelatine vaccine alternatives is here (Bangla): https://youtu.be/64_FecTJo30?si=cTlbTUpOUUeVGIQG
You can find out more about childhood vaccinations by visiting: https://northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/health-advice/vaccinations/childhoodvaccines/
Further translated resources:
Measles: don’t let your child catch it
Postcard | Maternal vaccinations (RSV, pertussis and flu) | Campaign Resource Centre