DHAKA: As the monsoon starts showering in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, water-borne disease makes a fresh attack on the inhabitants of the congested bases.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) situation update report, last week 873 Rohingya patients were identified with Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) — nearly double the average number of AWD patients in recent weeks.
Aid agencies are feared to have more waterborne disease patients in the mid-monsoon.
“My son has suffered from diarrhea for the past two days,” said Morium Begum, a Rohingya refugee living in Balukhali camp, while waiting in the queue for the doctor at a health center. Her three-year-old boy, Ahmed Musa, looks very pale and ailing because of dehydration.
Another girl, Halima Khatun, 6, has suffered from high fever for the past four days.
“I visited the doctor with my daughter in this camp two days ago. They have prescribed Halima some medicines, but her condition has not improved,” said her mother, Khadiza Begum, while visiting an NGO-run health center at Kutupalang camp in Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar.
Authorities in Bangladesh have taken urgent steps to face the emergencies: 169 medical centers equipped with doctors and medical staff are providing treatment to the Rohingyas.
“We are maintaining a very close coordination with all the government and NGO-run medical centers to address any emergency and humanitarian crisis,” says Dr. Abdul Mannan, Upazilla health officer of Ukhia, where most of the refugees now live in makeshift houses.
“We have noticed a significant rise in waterborne diseases during this month of monsoon, which include fever, diarrhea, respiratory problems for the children and older people, skin diseases, and jaundice,” added Mannan.
Describing the situation as “so far under control,” he said emergency response teams were always on “standby mode” with ambulances to carry the distressed Rohingyas to the nearby hospitals.
Anticipating the crisis, the Bangladesh authority has hired another team of 40 doctors to provide emergency treatment. They are also on “standby” and will be deployed on a needs basis in the crucial areas, said Cox’s Bazar district civil surgeon Abdus Salam.
“To deal with the diarrhea patients, we have established 40 diarrhea training centers within the camp areas. In addition, all our paramedic staff are provided with special training on the treatment of diarrhea patients.”
According to the latest situation report of Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), last week the refugees in Cox’s Bazar district experienced 95mm rain. During this period 116 shelters were damaged by rain and heavy wind.
Although authorities in Bangladesh have relocated 32,000 refugees to a safer place, the ISCG said, there are still around 215,000 refugees living on the hill slopes at great risk of landslides and monsoon floods. Of them, 42,000 are living at “highest risk.” By the end of this month, another 3,500 refugees will be shifted to safer zones, according to the ISCG report.
