Dhaka, Jan 16 : The health and safety of more than 520,000 Rohingya children living in overcrowded camps and informal settlements at Cox’s Bazar is likely to be put at even greater risk ahead, of the upcoming cyclone and monsoon seasons, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
Hundreds of thousands of children are already living in horrific conditions, and they will face an even greater risk of disease, flooding, landslides and further displacement (during cyclone and monsoon seasons), said Edouard Beigbeder, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Bangladesh in a statement.
Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene conditions can lead to cholera outbreaks and Hepatitis E, a deadly disease for pregnant women and their babies, while standing water pools can attract malaria-carrying mosquitoes, Mr Beigbeder added, saying that keeping children safe from disease must be an absolute priority.
The statement said more than 4,000 suspected cases of diphtheria have been reported among the Rohingya population with 32 deaths, including at least 24 children.
UNICEF and partners have launched a diphtheria vaccination campaign, and are working to provide children and families with access to safe water and sanitation facilities, but overcrowding and the growing risk of extreme weather increases the risk of further outbreaks, it said.
(UNI)
