A massive cholera vaccination campaign started in Bangladesh on Monday to protect nearly 1 million Rohingyas and their host communities living in and around the refugee camps.

The campaign led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with support from World Health Organization, UNICEF, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, and other partners aims to prevent any potential outbreak during the ongoing monsoon season.

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This is the second cholera vaccination campaign being held for the Rohingyas and their host communities. In 2017, 900,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine were administered to this population in two phases in October and November, according to a statement issued by WHO.

“Considering the water and sanitation conditions in the overcrowded camps and the increased risk of disease outbreaks in the monsoon season, the health sector is taking all possible measures to prevent cholera and other water and vector borne diseases,” said WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Bardan Jung Rana.

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Everyone aged above one year in the refugee camps and their host communities in Ukhiya and Teknaf sub-districts will be vaccinated during the nearly week-long campaign. As many as 245 mobile vaccination teams will carry out the exercise.

“We have managed to prevent the cholera outbreak since the first campaign in October last year, but flood water, heavy storms and landslides in the monsoon season could damage water and sanitation facilities in the camps, increasing the risk again of an outbreak of this dangerous disease. We have to take all initiatives to address the risk, including preventive measures through vaccination,” says UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Edouard Beigbeder.

Financed by Gavi, the vaccine alliance, the oral cholera vaccines have been made available through the Inter-Agency Coordinating Group with members from WHO, UNICEF, Médecins sans Frontières and the International Federation of the Red Cross.

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“This vaccination campaign is a part of the ongoing efforts of the government and the health sector partners to protect nearly a million people, including at least 135,000 Bangladeshis, who have been affected by the influx since last year,” says Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh.

To ensure rapid response to any outbreak, both WHO and UNICEF claim to have prepositioned life-saving supplies.

In addition to vaccination, says WHO, efforts are also being made to improve access to clean water and sanitation and promote hygiene, with UNICEF scaling up interventions and communication on safe practices.

The World Health Organization says it has raised an early warning, alert and response emergency surveillance system. It is monitoring water quality and working with the public health engineering department to enhance local laboratory capacity.

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The WHO-led Health Sector is supporting setting up of diarrhea treatment centres, including five supported by UNICEF and managed by the ICDDR.

According to the WHO statement, the Maternal Neonatal and Adolescent Health (MNC&AH) of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh, is leading the oral cholera vaccination campaign through district and upazila level health managers and administration as well as DGHS Coordination Cell in Cox’s Bazar, Armed Forces, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), development partners, including UN agencies, and national and international non-government organisations.