Bangladesh has made huge progress in measles but now children are dying.

Public health experts warn that the outbreak in Bangladesh is proof of the dangers of declining vaccine coverage.

About three hours from the capital Dhaka, we see the consequences of the lack of vaccination.

Mosamat Nila Akhter and her husband took their 10-month-old daughter Maliha to the clinic in February for her vaccinations, but were told nothing was left.

During the outbreak in late March, Maliha was hospitalized with pneumonia but was released days later. Her parents later noticed a rash on her stomach.

Back at the hospital, they were told there were no beds. Desperate, they stayed at another hospital for three hours until another child was discharged. Akhter said the lack of beds has resulted in children with and without measles sharing rooms.

“No matter how much we cooked her body, the fever did not go down. The doctors kept coming and saying, ‘Clean her body,'” said Akter.

Maliha was told they needed an ICU bed, but the hospital had none to offer. They traveled in an ambulance for hours as Maliha struggled to breathe.

“She just looked at me. Even with all those tubes and machines attached to her, she was trying to crawl into my arms,” ​​recalls the actor.

Three days later, Maliha died.

“Everything about her was wonderful,” recalls Akter, her voice breaking.

“Who’s to blame?” she asks. “Should I blame the government because my child didn’t get vaccinated?”