Diarrhoea, cholera spread in Rohingya refugee camps

Diarrhoea and cholera has broken out in 34 Rohingya refugee camps under Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas of Cox's Bazar district.

According to refugee camp and district health department sources, more than three thousand persons including Rohingya and local people have been affected by diarrhoea and cholera in the last few months. Of them, 133 cholera patients detected by physicians so far, sources said. But none was died of disease.

Cholera is spreading fast among the local people from Rohingya camps. Doctors said that number of cholera patients is increasing due to crisis of pure drinking water, unhealthy environment and overcrowding in the camps.

When contacted, Civil Surgeon in-charge of Cox's Bazar Dr Mohiuddin Mohammad Alamgir confirmed the matter.

He said that to control the disease Health department will start a cholera vaccination programme from Sunday.

Under the programme a total of 6,35,085 people will be administered cholera vaccine. Of them 4,95,197 local people and 1,39,888 Rohingya refugees will get oral cholera vaccines, Dr Alamgir said.

Health department sources said that the cholera vaccination programme will continue from Sunday up to December 31 in the Rohingya camps of Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas and nearby local villages.

Meanwhile, more than 1.1 million (11 lakh) Rohingya refugees are living in the camps since 2017 after they fled from homeland Myanmar following a military crackdown.

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