Diphtheria vaccination in Rohingya camps starts today

The government will begin a 12 day long vaccination programme from today (Tuesday). Some 250 health activists and volunteers will be engaged to vaccinate 2.50 lakh children in various Rohingya refugee camps, slums besides inside and outside floating shelters.
Doctor Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer said this while speaking about the current status of the Rohingya refugee children.
Local people and health experts on Monday said that the Rohingya newcomers are the carriers of the contagious diseases Diphtheria that has spread out in various Rohingy camps of Ukhiya and Taknaf in the last few days.
They made the statement as they hadn't witness the outbreak of the disease in the areas before the arrival of Rohingya refugees.
 "We firmly believe that the newcomer Rohingya refugees have brought this infectious disease from Myanmar. None has experienced such disease before their arrival in the areas where they have taken shelter."
The children age group between 6 weeks to 6 years old will receive the vaccines with pentavalent (DPT-HepB-Hib) and pneumococcal vaccines, which guards and prevent diphtheria and other diseases.
Officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that they received support and cooperation from the WHO and UNICEF and other partners to prevent the spread of the highly infectious respiratory disease through effective treatment and adequate prevention.
He made this statement at a time when Rohingya refugees in various camps, became panicked due outbreak of Dyptheria, claiming lives of nine children.
Diphtheria is rapidly spreading among Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, WHO warned on Wednesday.
More than 110 suspected cases have been clinically diagnosed by health partners, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
Initially the government officials had denied about the presence of the disease, but later it was confirmed from the saliva diagnosed reports.
Dr Mesbah also said that on Monday they had launched a health campaigning programme besides arranging a training programme for 250 health activists.
When asked about the number of vaccination they had received, in response he said that about 350 lakh vaccines have been received till now and their target is 250 lakhs children.
Pavaratnasamy Naranietharan, WHO Representative to Bangladesh, was quoted to have said,
"These cases could be just the tip of the iceberg. This is an extremely vulnerable population with low vaccination coverage, living in conditions that could be a breeding ground for infectious diseases like cholera, measles, rubella, and diphtheria,"
WHO said it has procured an initial 1,000 vials of diphtheria antitoxins that are due to arrive in Bangladesh by the weekend. Combined with antibiotics, the antitoxins can save the lives of people already infected with diphtheria, by neutralising the toxins produced by the deadly bacteria.
Talking to the Daily Observer, Doctor Abdus Salam, Civil Surgeon of Cox'sbazar said that already they have distributed the vaccines on Saturday from their floating camps in Teknaf and Ukhiya.
"We are expecting about five lakh children to receive these vaccines and we had employed about 120 health activists," he said.