150,000 Rohingya Children in Bangladesh to Be Vaccinated Amid Threat of Disease Outbreak

NEW YORK (September 17, 2017) – A vaccination campaign against measles, rubella and polio is underway to immunize 150,000 Rohingya children below the age of 15 in 68 refugee settlements close to the border with Myanmar.

The seven-day campaign is led by the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Health by providing the vaccines, syringes and vitamin A capsules.  WHO planned the immunization campaign and is managing and monitoring its field implementation to ensure every child is being reached.

More than 410,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since August 25, and thousands more are arriving every day. Children account for 60 percent of all refugees, according to preliminary estimates. 

“We are happy that we were able to initiate the immunization campaign so quickly to protect the population from a possible measles outbreak,” said Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, WHO Representative to Bangladesh. “We are all working together under the leadership of the Ministry of Health. This is what allowed us to implement this campaign so rapidly.”

“Measles is a very infectious and dangerous disease during emergencies, especially for children who are already weak and malnourished,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Representative in Bangladesh. “With thousands of children crossing the border every day, vaccination is crucial to prevent the spread of potentially deadly diseases.”  

With the growing number of Rohingya refugees, UNICEF and WHO are scaling up their health and nutrition services as below:  

• Assisting the Ministry of Health to strengthen routine immunization programs.  

• Supporting the Ministry to increase the number of doctors, nurses and lab technicians to reinforce maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services.

• Renovating the delivery and special newborn care units, antenatal and postnatal care corners, as well as adolescent corners.  

• Improving water, sanitation and hygiene services in health facilities.

• Strengthening health coordination for a better response at field level.  

• Strengthening early warning systems and surveillance for outbreak prone diseases.  

• Strengthening health data by providing support to the Health Management Information System.

UNICEF will also be sending additional health and nutrition supplies from Dhaka and from its supply hub in Copenhagen. WHO is awaiting supplies from international procurement.  

UNICEF will need at least $7.3 million for the next three months, but additional funds will be necessary as the refugee population continues to grow.

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About UNICEF 
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org. 

For more information, contact:  
Sophie Aziakou, UNICEF USA, 917.720.1397, saziakou@unicefusa.org