Varicella outbreak among the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: Lessons learned and potential prevention strategies

Hsan, Kamrul; Naher, Shabnam; Gozal, David; Griffiths, Mark D.; Siddique, Ruhul Furkan

doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2019.101465

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…This is because one of the aims of this survey was to crudely gauge the refugees' prior access to preventive medicine rather than establishing a full immunisation record. Unfortunately, this suggests that up to 16% of individuals may not have received any immunisations in the past, including those in the WHO Expanded Program on Immunisation schedule, leading to a significant risk of both individual and community vulnerability to disease outbreaks as have occurred with diphtheria, measles and varicella [12,13,15]. However, our results are more favourable than those of other recent surveys that demonstrated 43% of children under the age of four had not received any doses of an injectable vaccine in Myanmar [2], and that only 23% of Rohingya children under five years of age had received a measles vaccine [10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies have noted high rates of malnutrition and low immunisation coverage among Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar who, thus, remain susceptible to infections including gastroenteritis, acute respiratory infections and acute jaundice syndromes [7][8][9][10][11]. Following the last mass migration, a large diphtheria outbreak and varicella and measles outbreaks have occurred, and cholera remains a constant threat [12][13][14][15]. Furthermore, Rohingya refugees suffer from a wide range of acute and chronic health conditions [7,14], including musculoskeletal and mental health problems that can be difficult to detect, assess and manage in this vulnerable population [16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Rapid Assessment of Health Literacy and Health Status of Rohingya Refugees Living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Following the August 2017 Exodus from Myanmar: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rahman¹,

Faiz

Nu³

et al. 2020

TropicalMed

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Background: A survey was conducted among Rohingya refugees to assess their overall health literacy and health status. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to conduct face to face interviews among Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in November–December 2017. Families were selected using convenience sampling from four large refugee camps. Results: Primary respondents aged 10–90 (median 32) years, 56% male, representing 1634 families were interviewed and provided data of themselves and 6268 additional family members, 4163 (66.4%) of whom were children aged <18 years. Of all, only 736 (45%) primary respondents knew how to appropriately treat diarrhoea, 882 (54%) relied on unqualified village “doctors” for treatment, 547 (33.5%) reported a family member suffering injuries in the previous six months, with 8% (42/547) of injuries fatal. One hundred and ninety two (11.8%) primary respondents also reported deaths within their family in the preceding 12 months, with the majority (70% [134/192]) occurring in males, and 44% (85/192) of all deaths were claimed to be homicidal. Conclusion: This survey highlights overall poor health literacy, limited access to qualified health care, and a high rate of injuries and assaults among Rohingyas. However, these data come from an anecdotal survey that excluded some sensitive but important questions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Rapid Assessment of Health Literacy and Health Status of Rohingya Refugees Living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Following the August 2017 Exodus from Myanmar: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rahman¹,

Faiz

Nu³

et al. 2020

TropicalMed

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“…These factors make them vulnerable to infectious diseases and increase the risk of an acute diarrheal outbreak, especially among children below 5 years of age [ 5 , 9 ]. In addition to reported outbreaks of diphtheria, measles, and varicella [ 10–12 ], acute gastroenteritis (AGE) remains a constant threat among the FDMN.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Viral Etiology of Acute Gastroenteritis Among Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals and Adjacent Host Population in Bangladesh

Hossian

Islam

Miah

et al. 2021

The Journal of Infectious Diseases

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Background Since August 2017 Myanmar nationals from Rakhine state have crossed the border into Bangladesh and settled in Cox’s Bazar, the World's largest refugee camp. Due to overcrowding, poor sanitation, and hygienic practices they have been under significant health risks including diarrheal diseases. Objective To determine the viral etiology of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) among forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (FDMN) and adjacent Bangladeshi local host population (AHP). Methods From April 2018 to April 2019, we collected stool specimens from 764 FDMN and 1159 AHP of all ages. We tested 100 randomly selected specimens from each group for the most common acute gastroenteritis viruses. Results Among 200 diarrhea patients, 55% and 64% of FDMN and AHP patients respectively had viral infections; the most common viruses were rotavirus (29% vs 44%), adenovirus (24% vs 31%) and norovirus (14% vs 10%). In both populations, viral infections were significantly higher in children less than five years; compared to bacterial infections which were higher in patients older than five years of age (p=<0.05). Conclusion Disparities in viral and bacterial prevalence among various age groups warrant careful antibiotic usage, especially in children less than five years.

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“…In the countries of arrival, they are often housed in collective accommodations that seem to facilitate the spread of infectious and parasitic diseases 2 . High prevalence rates of scabies infestation 3 , reports of outbreaks of measles 4 , 5 and varicella 6 – 8 and protozoa infections 9 have been described in this population. Acute respiratory infections are among the most common reasons for seeking primary medical care among refugees, migrants, and nonmigrants in Germany 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Acute respiratory infections in an adult refugee population: an observational study

Jablonka

Dopfer

Happle

et al. 2021

npj Prim. Care Respir. Med.

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The presence of acute infectious respiratory diseases (ARD) is one of the main reasons why recently arrived refugees seek medical help. This paper investigates the incidence rates of acute respiratory diseases in an adult refugee population as well as associated sociodemographic factors and drug treatments. We conducted a retrospective observational study of deidentified medical records. The data were collected between 2015 and 2019 in the health care centers of two large German initial reception centers for refugees. Multivariable analyses controlling for sociodemographics were carried out using generalized estimating equations. Out of 10,431 eligible residents, 6965 medical encounters of 2840 adult patients were recorded over 30 months. Of all the adult patients, 34.4% sought medical help for a respiratory symptom or diagnosis at least once. Older patients and patients from Sub-Saharan Africa sought help less often. The occurrence of ARD showed a typical distribution over the course of the year. Facility occupancy was not associated with ARD occurrence. Acute respiratory symptoms are a leading cause for adult refugee patients to seek medical care. The doctor contact rates due to ARD were consistently two to three times higher among refugees than among German residents.

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Varicella outbreak among the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: Lessons learned and potential prevention strategies

Cited by 6 publications

References 3 publications

A Rapid Assessment of Health Literacy and Health Status of Rohingya Refugees Living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Following the August 2017 Exodus from Myanmar: A Cross-Sectional Study

A Rapid Assessment of Health Literacy and Health Status of Rohingya Refugees Living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Following the August 2017 Exodus from Myanmar: A Cross-Sectional Study

Viral Etiology of Acute Gastroenteritis Among Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals and Adjacent Host Population in Bangladesh

Acute respiratory infections in an adult refugee population: an observational study

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