Implementation and Delivery of Oral Cholera Vaccination Campaigns in Humanitarian Crisis Settings among Rohingya Myanmar nationals in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Over 700,000 Myanmar nationals known as the 'Rohingyas' fled into Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in late 2017. Due to this huge displacement into unhygienic areas, these people became vulnerable to communicable diseases including cholera. Assessing the risk, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), with the help of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) and other international partners, decided to take preventive measures, one of which is the execution of oral cholera vaccination (OCV) campaigns. This paper describes the implementation and delivery of OCV campaigns during humanitarian crises in Bangladesh.

Methods: Seven rounds of OCV campaigns were conducted between October 2017 and December 2021. The OCV campaigns were conducted by applying different strategies.

Results: Approximately 900,000 Rohingya Myanmar nationals (RMNs) and the host population (amounting to 528,297) received OCV across seven campaigns. In total, 4,661,187 doses of OCVs were administered, which included 765,499 doses for RMNs, and 895,688 doses for the host community. The vaccine was well accepted, and as a result, a high level of coverage was achieved, ranging from 87% to 108% in different campaigns.

Conclusions: After successful pre-emptive campaigns in Cox's Bazar humanitarian camps, no cholera outbreaks were detected either in the RMN or host communities.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Cox’s Bazar; Rohingya Myanmar nationals (RMN); cholera; oral cholera vaccination.

Figure 1

Location camps in Cox’s Bazar (Data source: Joint Government of Bangladesh—UNHCR population Factsheet, 31 January 2022).