The campaign, led by the health ministry with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has been rolled out across 18 high-risk districts, according to a joint statement.

Government data shows 17 confirmed deaths linked to measles so far, alongside 113 suspected fatalities and more than 7,500 suspected infections across the country. The outbreak has now spread to 56 of Bangladesh’s 64 districts, raising concerns over further transmission.

Authorities said the vaccination drive is prioritising children aged between six months and five years, particularly those who missed routine immunisation and are at higher risk of severe complications. Health officials described the campaign as a critical intervention to address immunity gaps exposed by the surge in infections.

UNICEF representative Rana Flowers said the agency was alarmed by the sharp rise in cases, warning that thousands of children, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, face heightened risk.

She said the resurgence underscored significant gaps in population immunity.Hospitals in several high-burden areas are operating beyond capacity, with limited resources to manage the influx of patients, officials said, adding to concerns about the outbreak’s trajectory.

The World Health Organization said the outbreak is likely to continue spreading in the coming days but could be brought under control following the large-scale vaccination effort. WHO representative Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed said the campaign would be key to preventing further child deaths.

Officials said the emergency drive is intended to complement existing routine immunisation programmes as authorities work to contain the outbreak and stabilise public health conditions.

Your body is your lifelong home—nourish it, move it, respect it.

Obesity is often spoken of in the language of personal failure—poor discipline, unhealthy choices, or sedentary habits. This narrative, repeated in popular discourse and media commentary, places the burden squarely on individuals while ignoring the larger forces at play. Such framing is not only incomplete but deeply misleading. It simplifies a complex health condition into a matter of willpower, obscuring the structural realities that make healthy living increasingly difficult for large sections of society.

Obesity is not merely an individual concern; it is a silent epidemic shaped by modern lifestyles, economic systems, cultural shifts, and policy neglect. The environments in which people live today are engineered for convenience rather than well-being—characterised by ultra-processed foods, relentless marketing, sedentary work patterns, and shrinking spaces for physical activity. When unhealthy choices become the easiest, cheapest, and most accessible options, personal responsibility alone cannot carry the weight of prevention.

Treating obesity as a moral shortcoming has had serious consequences. It has fostered stigma, discouraged individuals from seeking medical or psychological support, and diverted attention from the need for systemic reform. Worse, it has allowed governments, industries, and institutions to evade accountability while the health burden continues to grow. By reducing obesity to a question of individual failure, societies have overlooked its profound implications for public health, healthcare systems, and economic productivity.

To address obesity meaningfully, it must be recognised not as a personal flaw but as a collective challenge—one that reflects how modern societies organise food, work, education, and urban life. Only by shifting the conversation from blame to understanding, and from judgement to shared responsibility, can obesity be confronted as the public health crisis it truly is.

A Growing Burden of Non-Communicable Disease

At its core, obesity is a chronic medical condition characterised by the accumulation of excessive body fat to a degree that impairs health and reduces quality of life. It is not merely a cosmetic concern or a matter of appearance; it fundamentally alters metabolic, hormonal, and inflammatory processes within the body. This disruption significantly increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, musculoskeletal degeneration, respiratory complications, and certain forms of cancer.

The consequences of obesity extend beyond physical illness. Individuals living with obesity are more likely to experience reduced mobility, chronic pain, fatigue, and psychological distress, including depression and anxiety. Over time, these health challenges can limit productivity, strain healthcare systems, and diminish overall life expectancy. What makes obesity particularly dangerous is its gradual progression—often developing silently over years before manifesting as serious disease.

The World Health Organization has long recognised obesity as a major global health risk and a key driver of the worldwide rise in non-communicable diseases. Alarmingly, its prevalence has increased sharply across both developed and developing nations, cutting across age groups and socioeconomic boundaries. Once associated primarily with affluence, obesity now coexists with undernutrition in many countries, creating a dual burden that complicates public health responses.

This global rise reflects profound changes in diet, physical activity, and living conditions rather than sudden shifts in individual behaviour. As obesity becomes increasingly widespread, it poses not only a medical challenge but a societal one—demanding coordinated action in healthcare, education, urban planning, and policy. Recognising obesity as a serious, multifaceted health condition is the first step toward addressing its long-term consequences effectively and ethically.

How Modern Lifestyles Fuel Obesity

Contemporary life has fundamentally altered how people eat, move, and rest, creating conditions that make obesity increasingly common. The food environment today is dominated by highly processed, calorie-dense options that are not only cheap and widely available but also aggressively marketed, particularly to children and young adults. Sugary drinks, snack foods, fast-food chains, and ready-to-eat meals are positioned as convenient, desirable, and even aspirational, while fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often remain relatively expensive, less accessible, or inconvenient for those with demanding schedules.

At the same time, physical activity has been systematically reduced in daily life. Urban design prioritises cars over pedestrians, schools and workplaces emphasise desk-bound tasks over movement, and recreational options are increasingly digital rather than active. Mechanised transport, elevators, escalators, and household conveniences reduce opportunities for natural physical exertion, while screen-based entertainment—television, computers, and smartphones—occupies ever more leisure time. Even recreational sports and outdoor play have declined due to shrinking green spaces and parental concerns about safety.

The combination of high-calorie intake and minimal energy expenditure creates an environment in which obesity is not merely a matter of personal choice but a predictable outcome. People live within systems that encourage overconsumption and inactivity, often without realising the cumulative impact on health. Modern lifestyles, designed for efficiency and convenience, have unintentionally engineered obesity into everyday life, making it a systemic rather than individual problem.

Cultural Shifts and the Normalisation of Obesity

Beyond structural and lifestyle factors, cultural perceptions of body weight have evolved in ways that complicate the obesity crisis. On one hand, individuals living with obesity are often subjected to stigma and social judgement, labelled as lazy, undisciplined, or lacking self-control. This moralising narrative not only causes psychological stress but also discourages people from seeking medical guidance, nutrition counselling, or physical activity support. The shame associated with obesity can exacerbate unhealthy behaviours, creating a vicious cycle that public health messaging alone struggles to break.

On the other hand, there is a growing tendency in some societies to normalise obesity, framing it as an acceptable variation of body type without adequately addressing its serious health implications. While body-positivity movements have rightly challenged unrealistic beauty standards and promoted self-acceptance, the message can sometimes blur the line between embracing diversity and ignoring the medical risks associated with excessive weight.

This duality—stigmatisation on one side, normalisation on the other—creates a confusing social landscape. Individuals are left to navigate contradictory messages: they are shamed for being overweight, yet encouraged to accept it without intervention. Effective solutions must strike a balance—promoting empathy and dignity while clearly communicating the health consequences associated with obesity.

Ultimately, addressing obesity is not only about personal choice or discipline; it is about reshaping cultural norms, promoting informed awareness, and creating environments where healthy eating, regular movement, and preventive care are supported, respected, and accessible.

Beyond Personal Responsibility: Systemic Solutions for Obesity

Obesity is not just a personal or cultural issue; it carries significant economic and systemic consequences. Rising rates of obesity contribute to an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and certain cancers. This translates into escalating healthcare costs, long-term medical treatments, and reduced workforce productivity, affecting societies at both micro- and macroeconomic levels.

Yet, despite its scale, obesity often receives fragmented or inadequate policy attention. Governments have historically focused more on undernutrition, infectious diseases, or acute healthcare needs, leaving obesity prevention and management under-resourced. Preventive healthcare systems, nutrition education, regulation of food marketing—especially to children—and urban planning that encourages physical activity remain patchy or unevenly implemented.

The food industry plays a major role in shaping dietary behaviour. Highly processed, energy-dense foods are aggressively marketed and widely accessible, while healthier options remain less profitable, more expensive, or harder to distribute. Without regulatory oversight, profit incentives often outweigh public health considerations. Subsidies for sugar-rich crops, minimal labelling requirements, and the omnipresence of fast-food chains create a structural environment in which obesity becomes an almost predictable outcome.

Ultimately, obesity is not a problem that can be solved solely at the level of personal responsibility. It is a public health and economic challenge that demands systemic solutions, spanning regulation, education, urban planning, and healthcare policy. Only by addressing these structural and economic dimensions can societies hope to reverse the silent epidemic of obesity.

Confronting the Silent Epidemic

Obesity is not merely a matter of individual choice or willpower; it is the product of modern lifestyles, cultural shifts, and systemic gaps in policy and infrastructure. It thrives in environments where high-calorie, processed foods are cheap and accessible, physical activity is minimised, and social narratives vacillate between stigmatisation and normalisation. When left unaddressed, obesity burdens not only individual health but also societies through rising medical costs, reduced productivity, and escalating rates of chronic disease.

Addressing this silent epidemic requires a holistic approach. Urban planning must promote active living; schools must instil nutrition literacy and physical fitness; governments must regulate food marketing and ensure healthier options are affordable; and media campaigns must empower rather than shame. Only by tackling obesity at these structural, cultural, and economic levels can societies hope to reverse its steady rise.

Ultimately, the fight against obesity is not just a health intervention—it is a test of societal priorities. By creating environments that support healthy choices and treating obesity as a collective challenge rather than a personal failing, we can move toward a future in which well-being is accessible to all.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.

In a post on the X social media platform, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a WHO-led mission to bring supplies in and evacuate patients from the last partly functioning hospital in northern Gaza was stopped in both directions by Israelis.

One of 19 critically wounded patients the team was trying to rescue died en route because of the hold-up. One Red Crescent staff member was separated from the convoy, stripped, beaten and harassed before being sent out hours later on foot, unclothed and shoeless, with his hands still tied behind his back.

“We are deeply concerned about prolonged checks and detention of health workers that put lives of already fragile patients at risk,” Tedros said.

Saturday’s mission evacuated critical patients and delivered trauma and surgical supplies to cover the needs of 1,500 people at battle-scarred Al-Ahli Hospital, the last hospital still partially functioning in the northern half of the Gaza Strip.

On the way out of the north, some patients and Red Crescent staff were instructed at an Israeli checkpoint to leave the ambulances. Critical patients were searched by armed Israeli soldiers.

“Some health workers were held and questioned for several hours,” Tedros said. “Due to the hold-up, one patient died en route.”

Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, would not comment on the incident, saying she did not have enough information about it.

Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, who was on the convoy, said the medics had been forced to leave behind one Palestine Red Crescent Society staff member.

“After two and a half hours, we had to make this incredibly difficult choice to leave this highly dangerous area and proceed for the safety and well-being of the patients,” Peeperkorn told reporters via video link.

The detained staff member later reported being harassed, beaten, threatened, stripped of his clothes, and blindfolded. After his release, he was left to walk towards southern Gaza with his hands still tied behind his back, and without his clothes or shoes, WHO said.

“His story is harrowing, and the humiliation and inhumane treatment he was subject to is rather shocking,” Peeperkorn said.

Health workers have been detained on previous missions to Gaza health facilities. On Nov. 18, six people were detained during a WHO-led mission to move patients from Al-Shifa Hospital. Four of those people remain in detention, WHO said.

“In just 66 days the health system has gone from 36 functional hospitals to 11 partially functional hospitals – one in the north and 10 in the south,” Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told a U.N. press briefing by videolink from Gaza.

“We cannot afford to lose any health care facilities or hospitals,” he said. “We hope, we plea that this will not happen.”

Palestinian officials have also described a disastrous health situation in Gaza, where Israel’s assault has left most of the population homeless, with little electricity, food or clean water, and a medical system facing collapse.

The emergency action, proposed by Afghanistan, Qatar, Yemen and Morocco, seeks passage into Gaza for medical personnel and supplies, requires the WHO to document violence against healthcare workers and patients and to secure funding to rebuild hospitals.

“I must be frank with you: these tasks are almost impossible in the current circumstances,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Still, he commended countries for finding common ground, saying it was the first time any U.N. motion had been agreed by consensus since the conflict began.

Tedros told the 34-member board in Geneva that medical needs in Gaza had surged and the risk of disease had grown, yet the health system had been reduced to a third of its pre-conflict capacity.

Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian politician who heads the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees with 25 teams working in Gaza, said: “Half of Gaza is now starving.”

He said 350,000 people had infections including 115,000 with severe respiratory infections and lacking warm clothes, blankets and protection from the rain.

He said many were suffering from stomach complaints because there was little clean water and not enough fuel to use to boil it, risking outbreaks of dysentery, typhoid and cholera.

“To add insult to injury, we have 46,000 injured people who cannot be treated properly because most of the hospitals are not functioning,” he said.

Bombardment

Gaza hospitals have come under bombardment and some have been besieged or raided as part of Israel’s response to Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attacks. Hospitals that remain open are overwhelmed by the numbers of dead and wounded arriving and sometimes procedures are carried out without anaesthetics.

A WHO database shows there have been 449 attacks on healthcare facilities in Palestinian territories since Oct. 7, without assigning blame.

Tedros said that it would be hard to meet the board’s requests given the security situation on the ground and said he deeply regretted that the United Nations Security Council could not agree on a ceasefire in Gaza following a U.S. veto.

“Resupplying health facilities has become extremely difficult and is deeply compromised by the security situation on the ground and inadequate resupply from outside Gaza,” he said.

Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila deplored the critical shortages of medicines. “The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated,” she told the WHO meeting by video link.

WHO board member the United States signalled in the meeting that it would not oppose the text of the motion which was adopted without a vote later on Sunday.

The motion was criticised by Israel, which has said it puts disproportionate focus on Israel, made no mention of the Israeli hostages in Gaza and does not address what Israel describes as Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields, by placing command centres and weapons inside hospitals.

Israeli ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar called the adopted text a “complete moral failure”. Israel is not a WHO board member.

WHO emergency sessions are rare and have occurred during health crises including during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and during West Africa’s Ebola epidemic in 2015. Qatar, which has mediated in the Israel-Hamas conflict, chaired the session.

In figures deemed reliable by the United Nations, Gaza health authorities say more than 15,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israel’s bombardment of the narrow enclave, around 40% of them children, with many more feared to be lost under rubble.

Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, after its gunmen burst through the border killing around 1,200 people and seizing 240 captives on Oct. 7.

“Eventually we will see more people dying from disease than we are even seeing from the bombardment if we are not able to put back (together) this health system,” the WHO’s Margaret Harris said at a U.N. briefing in Geneva.

She repeated concerns about a rise in infectious diseases, particularly diarrhoea in infants and children, with cases for those aged five and older surging to more than 100 times normal levels by early November.

“Everybody everywhere has dire health needs now because they’re starving because they lack clean water and (they’re) crowded together,” she said.

Under the terms of a pause in fighting, Israel has allowed more aid to flow into Gaza including food, water and medicine although aid agencies say it is not enough to meet the immense needs.

James Elder, a spokesperson for the U.N. Children’s Agency in Gaza, told reporters by videolink that hospitals in the strip were full of children with burns and shrapnel wounds and gastroenteritis from drinking dirty water.

“I met a lot of parents… They know exactly what their children need. They don’t have access to safe water and it’s crippling them,” he said.

He described seeing one child with part of his leg missing lying on the hospital floor for several hours, without receiving treatment for lack of medical staff. Other injured children were lying on makeshift mattresses in car parks and gardens outside, he said.

“Everywhere doctors having to make horrendous decisions on, you know, who they prioritise,” he said.

Citing a U.N. report on the living conditions of displaced residents in northern Gaza, Harris said: “(There are) no medicines, no vaccination activities, no access to safe water and hygiene and no food,” she said.

She described the collapse of Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza as a “tragedy” and voiced concern about the detention of some of its medical staff by Israeli forces during a WHO evacuation convoy. Nearly three quarters of hospitals, or 26 out of 36, have shut down entirely in Gaza, she added, due to bombings or lack of fuel.

Hospitals have come under bombardment in the Israel-Hamas conflict and all hospitals in the northern part of the enclave have effectively ceased functioning normally, although they continue to house some patients that could not flee and displaced Gazans.

“We’re looking at three hospitals right now in the north that asked to be evacuated but the important point is where to? There is no safe space,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told a Geneva press briefing, saying that southern hospitals were already full and suffering shortages.

He said the requests came from hospital staff who feared for their lives.

“That means the situation on the ground has grown so dire that the only other alternative is facing what they think is certain death as the hospitals are under attack…,” he said.

“Taking away health care from people, is taking away the last resort, it’s taking away the last piece of humanity. And that’s what is happening right now.”

The three hospitals were Al Shifa, from which a group of babies has already been rescued, Indonesian Hospital and Al Ahli Hospital, he said. “So far it’s only in planning stages with no further details,” he added, saying it required close coordination with parties to the conflict to ensure the convoy does not come under fire as happened to the International Red Cross and French medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres.

At the same briefing, the U.N. children’s agency (UNICEF) warned of the risk of “mass disease outbreak” that could cause child death rates to mount in the densely populated enclave where thousands of people are crammed into overcrowded shelters.

“If children’s access to water and sanitation in Gaza continue to be restricted and insufficient, we will see a tragic – yet entirely avoidable – surge in the number of children dying,” said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.

Already, cases of diarrhoea in children under five years old have surged to 10 times the pre-conflict monthly average, he said.

The World Food Programme’s Arif Husain said that people in Gaza were receiving just 1-3 liters of water a day, far below international standards for emergencies. No bottled water has arrived for displaced people in northern Gaza for over a week, he said, raising serious concerns about dehydration.

The WHO-led team, which included public health experts, logistics officers and security staff from various U.N. departments, was able to spend only an hour inside the hospital on Saturday due to security concerns, WHO said in a statement.

The team described the hospital as a “death zone” and said the situation was “desperate,” with the hospital basically not functioning as a medical facility due to scarcity of clean water, fuel, medicine and other essentials.

“Signs of shelling and gunfire were evident. The team saw a mass grave at the entrance of the hospital and were told more than 80 people were buried there,” the WHO statement said.

The hallways and hospital grounds were filled with medical and solid waste, and patients and health staff expressed fear for their health and safety, it said. There were 25 health workers and 291 patients, including 32 babies in critical condition, remaining in Al Shifa, WHO said.

“WHO and partners are urgently developing plans for the immediate evacuation of the remaining patients, staff and their families,” it said.

“Over the next 24–72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict, additional missions are being arranged to urgently transport patients” to other hospitals in the south of Gaza.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the WHO statement or the visit.

The remaining 2,500 internally displaced people who had sought refuge on Al Shifa grounds were gone after the Israeli Defense Forces issued evacuation orders on Saturday, WHO said.

Israeli forces seized Al Shifa in their offensive across north Gaza last week, saying it concealed an underground Hamas command centre. The military said it found evidence of a Hamas base underground. Al Shifa staff say Israel has proven no such thing.

The visit was coordinated with the Israeli military to reduce risks but occurred in an active conflict zone, with heavy fighting close to the hospital, WHO said.

WHO repeated its call for an immediate ceasefire and sustained humanitarian assistance, saying options for medical care in the small coastal enclave were dwindling.

The ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement have created a dire situation at Al-Shifa Hospital. The WHO fears for the lives of the vulnerable individuals who are at risk due to the lack of communication and the deteriorating conditions caused by the siege.

The health organization believes that its contacts at the hospital may have joined the tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians who are fleeing from northern Gaza. As reports of repeated attacks on the hospital continue to emerge, the situation is increasingly alarming.

In a devastating development, the cardiac ward of Al-Shifa Hospital was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. Youssef Abu Rish, deputy health minister, confirmed that the two-story building housing the cardiac department was completely demolished. This destructive attack further exacerbates the already critical situation at the hospital.

According to the Health Ministry, there are still approximately 1,500 patients at Al-Shifa Hospital, along with 1,500 medical personnel. Additionally, between 15,000 and 20,000 people seeking shelter have sought refuge there. While some have managed to flee the hospital and other targeted medical facilities, it is impossible for everyone to escape the violence.

The International Committee of the Red Cross director general, Robert Mardini, described the situation at Al-Shifa as “unbearably desperate” and called for immediate action to address the crisis.

The Israeli strikes on Gaza have intensified, with Gaza City experiencing heavy bombardment and ground forces engaging Hamas militants near Al-Shifa Hospital. The situation has left thousands of medics, patients, and displaced people trapped without electricity and with dwindling supplies.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a televised address, rejected international calls for a ceasefire unless the release of all 239 hostages captured by Hamas on October 7 is included. Israel has faced mounting pressure from the international community, including its closest ally, the United States, to end the conflict.

A gathering of 57 Muslim and Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia called for an end to the war, while an estimated one million pro-Palestinian protesters marched peacefully in London, according to organizers.

Reports from Gaza City indicate heavy airstrikes and shelling, including in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital. Israel has accused Hamas of using the hospital compound as a concealment for a command post, but these allegations have been denied by Hamas and hospital staff.

The dire situation at Al-Shifa Hospital has been compounded by the hospital’s last generator running out of fuel, resulting in the deaths of a premature baby, another child in an incubator, and four other patients, according to the health ministry. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmia reported that medical devices stopped functioning, leading to the deaths of patients, particularly those in intensive care. Israeli troops have reportedly been shooting at anyone outside or inside the hospital and restricting movement between buildings.

The WHO and international community continue to call for an immediate end to the violence and the protection of civilians, particularly those seeking medical care and healthcare workers. The urgency to address the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital and alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable individuals trapped inside is paramount.

“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,” WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference. He said he hoped the supplies would be delivered as soon as the Rafah crossing opened, “hopefully tomorrow”.

The delivery of aid is set to be the first after Israel said it would impose a “total blockade” on the narrow Gaza Strip that is home to 2.3 million people, cutting electricity supplies and halting flows of food and fuel, in response to a devastating attack from Hamas on Israeli territory on Oct. 7.

There have also been heavy Israeli air strikes in the war with Hamas, that has killed thousands, including many civilians. The U.N. has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the impoverished enclave, where more than half the population lives in poverty amid a 16-year-old Israeli-led blockade that Palestinians said had already undermined health institutions and crippled the economy.

The WHO’s emergencies chief Mike Ryan said the U.N. agency would do everything in its power, along with the Egypt and Palestinian Red Crescent societies, to ensure the aid reached those who need it in Gaza rather than getting diverted. The WHO supplies are part of an expected convoy of 20 trucks.

“Twenty trucks is a drop in the ocean of need right now in Gaza,” Ryan added. “But hopefully this trickle will turn into a river of aid that will flow in the coming days.”

He said the medical supplies including wound dressings, anaesthetics, and painkillers, among other items.

The WHO has previously warned that the healthcare system in Gaza is on the brink of collapse, with emergency rooms operating in darkness to keep power for essential services, doctors forced to operate without anaesthetic, and some life-saving procedures – like dialysis – at risk of stopping.

It said 3,500 people have died in Gaza since the escalation, with 12,000 injured.