U.N. Supports Government-Led Diphtheria Immunization Campaign In Bangladesh’s Rohingya Refugee Camps As Disease Spreads Rapidly

IRIN: Diphtheria in Bangladesh Rohingya camps expected to double every few days
“Diphtheria continues to rapidly spread in Bangladesh’s swelling Rohingya refugee camps, with aid groups predicting the number of suspected cases — reported at more than 700 as of this week — could multiply every few days, testing already strained resources in the densely packed settlements…” (Loy, 12/12).

U.N. Dispatch: A Deadly Bacteria Thought to Be Eradicated is Showing Up in Rohingya Refugee Camps
“…Diphtheria caught the humanitarian organizations by surprise. Since it was thought to be eradicated [in Myanmar], relief agencies initially did not include the diphtheria vaccine among the suite of vaccines they are administering to these newly arrived refugees, who have fled a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar to a region of Bangladesh called Cox’s Bazar…” (Goldberg, 12/12).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. stepping up support to diphtheria vaccination campaign for Rohingya children in Bangladesh
“A United Nations-backed campaign to immunize Rohingya children against diphtheria began on Tuesday in Bangladesh, following an outbreak that has resulted in nine deaths in the camps and makeshift settlements hosting these refugees from Myanmar. … The government-led vaccination campaign will cover nearly 255,000 Rohingya children, and [is] supported by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance…” (12/12).

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