A dangerous health crisis unfolding in Bangladesh should serve as a serious warning for our country, being an immediate neighbour. The sharp rise in measles infections across the neighbouring country is no longer merely Bangladesh’s domestic problem. Given the long, porous border shared by the two nations, New Delhi must now move swiftly and carefully to ensure that the outbreak does not cross over into vulnerable populations on this side of the border.

Reports emerging from Bangladesh paint a deeply worrying picture. Thousands of suspected measles cases have been recorded in recent weeks, while hundreds of children have already lost their lives. The World Health Organisation has assessed the risk level in Bangladesh as “high” because of widespread transmission across multiple divisions, immunity gaps among children and falling vaccination coverage. Particularly alarming is the fact that a majority of infections are among children under the age of five.

For India, the lesson is clear: complacency would be costly.

India and Bangladesh share a border stretching over 4,000 kilometres, touching West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. In many areas, cross-border movement of people is a daily reality driven by trade, family ties, seasonal migration and informal transit routes. Infectious diseases do not recognise political boundaries. A virus spreading rapidly in crowded settlements across the border can easily find its way into densely populated Indian districts if vigilance weakens even briefly.

Measles is among the most contagious diseases known to medical science. One infected person can transmit the virus to as many as 18 to 20 others. The virus can remain active in the air and on surfaces for hours, making crowded areas particularly vulnerable. Border districts with dense populations, poor sanitation, weak healthcare access and migrant settlements could quickly become hotspots if preventive measures are not intensified immediately.

One of the most worrying aspects of the Measles outbreak in Bangladesh is not only the scale of infection but the worrying........

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