COVID-19 Contact Tracing in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp

As Bangladesh experiences a spike in COVID-19 cases, there is rising concern for the 700,000+ Rohingya refugees from Myanmar sheltering in Kutupalong Camp, Cox’s Bazar District. Cramped living conditions and limited access to health services make them especially vulnerable. Community Partners International (CPI) is supporting Rohingya volunteers in tracing contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases and helping to contain the spread of the virus within the refugee community.

“Once we hear of a suspected case, we visit their house with our volunteer.”

“The camp is overcrowded, and families live together in cramped shelters. A person with COVID-19 symptoms can’t separate themselves from their family,” explains Ariful Islam, CPI’s Health Outreach Program Manager.

In Camp 1E of Kutupalong Refugee Camp, CPI helps coordinate contact tracing for nearly 40,000 refugees with other health services agencies. CPI also helps train Rohingya volunteers and assist them during the contact tracing process. Between January and June, the volunteers referred more than 1,500 people with possible COVID-19 symptoms to health facilities and monitored 71 people with confirmed COVID-19.

“Once we hear of a suspected case, we visit their house with our volunteer,” explains Ariful Islam. “We collect their sample and send it for COVID-19 testing, and if the test comes back positive, we bring them to an isolation and treatment facility. Meanwhile, the volunteer traces all the people with whom the infected person came into contact and instructs them to quarantine for 14 days.”

“The volunteer helps to ensure they stay in quarantine,” continues Ariful Islam. During this time, if any of the quarantined people show COVID-19 symptoms, the volunteer notifies us, and we bring them to an isolation and treatment facility. The volunteer also helps supply quarantined families with their basic needs, like groceries or cooking gas, so they don’t have to go out.”

“The volunteers help us to overcome the language barrier.”

Tofayel is a contact tracing volunteer with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society who receives support from CPI. “When we instruct a household to quarantine, they follow our rules. We check on them three times a day. They let us know if they need anything, such as masks or sanitizer, and we provide it.”

But it’s not always that simple. “Sometimes we do face challenges, for instance, when the patient or patient contact is a senior member of the community and doesn’t want to listen to us,“ reveals Tofayel. “In those cases, we take time to explain the situation to them, and, eventually, they understand.”

“The volunteers help us to overcome the language barrier,” explains Ariful Islam. “They understand the community better than us and can communicate well with fellow community members. Embedded in the community, they can more easily follow up with quarantine and monitor their neighborhoods for COVID-19 outbreaks.”

“On rare occasions, people testing positive for COVID-19 give volunteers a false address,” reveals Ariful Islam. “In these situations, the volunteers check with local leaders to track down the person. Once they’ve found them, we cross-check their address to ensure it’s the right person.”

“I feel that I am doing an important job for my community.”

Volunteers are provided with personal protective equipment, including face masks, gloves, and sanitizer, for their safety and that of the community members. However, their work does expose them to some infection risk.

“I live with my wife and two children, and I don’t have any place to isolate myself,” explains health volunteer Tofayel. “At the end of the day, I return to my family. I fear for them because I know how contagious this disease can be. But I don’t have any other option. So, I shower immediately, wash my clothes, and keep my distance.”

But Tofayel is determined to continue contact tracing. “I feel that I am doing an important job for my community. No matter how hard it is, somebody has to do it. In this case, it’s me.”