Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh are at risk from a possible outbreak of diphtheria, the World Health Organization said in a report published on Tuesday. WHO investigators failed to find her, but on November 19 a man in the same area, the Balukhali makeshift settlement, was also reported to have suspected diphtheria, and another member of his household was sick. Many of the refugees were not vaccinated against diphtheria as children so there is little immunity against the disease. When measles broke out, causing 1,270 suspected cases, they rapidly vaccinated 135,000 children against measles and rubella. There have been 190 cases of acute jaundice syndrome and risk of a hepatitis E outbreak, which can kill 30% of pregnant women who catch it.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 29, 2017 12:45 UTC