MSF records 5,936 diphtheria cases

A total of 5,936 diphtheria clinical cases and 38 deaths have so far been recorded in Cox's Bazar, said the Medecins Sans Frontier (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Monday, reports UNB.

It has treated over 4,280 people with diphtheria in Cox's Bazar as of February 24, most of them aged between five and 14 years.

MSF ran during the peak of the outbreak three dedicated health facilities.

Nearly 300,000 patients have been treated at MSF outpatient facilities and around 7,000 in inpatient facilities between the end of August and the end of January.

It said they treat many people with diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections - diseases related to the living conditions in the camps.

They see wounds that have developed into serious infections after not being properly treated and chronic diseases that have never been properly addressed.

Currently, MSF is running 10 health posts and five in-patient health facilities, including one in Rubber Garden which has an isolation capacity for 150 patients affected by contagious diseases, mainly diphtheria.