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An The outbreak of chicken pox in one of the largest refugee camps in the world was detected by an early warning system funded by the United Kingdom.
While the current childhood illness is generally considered a low risk, overcrowding in Cox's Bazar camp (Bangladesh) creates ideal conditions for the rapid spread of contagious disease within an already vulnerable population.
More than one million Rohingyas live in the camp after fleeing Myanmar to escape what the United Nations has described as a "clbadic example of ethnic cleansing".
The disease surveillance system connects 168 health centers across the camp via a mobile app, enabling health workers to report cases of contagious diseases. These diseases are then monitored, allowing experts to determine when an outbreak can be fatal.
"Aid is not just a response to an aftermath; We use technology and intelligence to prevent and solve problems before they become disasters, "said Penny Mordaunt, Secretary of International Development.
"By intervening in the first stage of an epidemic, rather than when it is already an epidemic, we will save more lives, more effectively," she added.
The Department of International Development (Dfid) has invested close to a million pounds in the system, which was used last December to identify and treat a diphtheria outbreak.
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