British medics fly to Bangladesh to help avert disease catastrophe

LONDON, Dec.28 (Xinhua) -- The first of a more than 40-strong medical team left Britain Thursday on a mission to help combat a deadly diphtheria outbreak in Bangladesh.

The Department for International Development (DfID) said the British Emergency Medical Team (EMT) includes doctors, nurses and firefighters.

The team is heading to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh where thousands of lives are at risk from a rapid and deadly outbreak of the disease. It is the first ever deployment of Britain's EMT since it was certified by the World Health Organisation in 2016.

DfID said the response follows a formal request for assistance from the WHO and the government of Bangladesh after more than 2000 suspected cases and 22 reported deaths from the airborne virus. There are not enough staff or hospital beds to manage the outbreak which is expected to increase significantly over the current festive period.

DfID said there are a reported 160 new cases every day in Cox's Bazar which is home to more than 600,000 Rohingya people. It is especially dangerous for children who are particularly vulnerable. It causes extreme difficulty breathing, inflammation of the heart which can lead to heart failure, problems with the nervous system and fatal paralysis.

People in Britain are routinely vaccinated against diphtheria; however, the overcrowded camps are a breeding ground for this fatal disease. DfID is already providing vaccines in response to the crisis, said a spokesman for the department.

Following pre-deployment training, the first wave of medics flew from Manchester Airport.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said: "This will be an absolutely critical deployment, in a race against time for men, women and children at risk of dying from one of the world's cruellest infections."

Mordaunt said the British medical team would be acting rapidly in the crisis to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. Enditem