Bangladesh to vaccinate Rohingya children

The government yesterday launched a vaccination campaign against diphtheria and other preventable diseases for all Rohingya children aged between six weeks and six years living in 12 camps and temporary settlements in Cox's Bazar.

With the support of Unicef, the World Health Organization and GAVI, the accelerated immunization will cover nearly 255,000 children in Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox's Bazar, said Unicef in a press release.

“Diphtheria usually appears among vulnerable populations that have not received routine vaccinations, such as the Rohingyas… This calls for an immediate action to protect them from this killer disease…,” said Edouard Beigbeder, Unicef representative to Bangladesh.

“The Government of Bangladesh will do everything necessary to contain this outbreak. We thank WHO, Unicef and other health partners for their swift response to the request of the government to combat this diphtheria outbreak…,” said Dr Abul Kalam Azad, director general of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The children are being administered pentavalent vaccines (which protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Haemophilus Influenzae, and hepatitis B), pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) and bivalent oral polio vaccine.

“We are moving quickly to control this diphtheria outbreak before it spins out of control… Beyond vaccinations, we are helping health workers to clinically manage suspected cases, trace their contacts, and ensure sufficient supplies of medicines," said Dr Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, WHO representative to Bangladesh.