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How killer diseases are threatening lives of 590,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

According to a report by the United Nations, nearly 590,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are facing the threat of several diseases.

By Oneindia
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Dhaka, Oct 21: Since August 25, when violence broke out in Rakhine state of Myanmar, at least 590,000 Rohingyas have left their homeland to take shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Now, those who are staying at crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar in very unhygienic and inhuman conditions are facing the risks of being killed by water-borne diseases.

rohingya camp

The warning has been issued by the United Nations (UN) which is closely monitoring the biggest refugee crisis in the world unfolding in Bangladesh.

According to a UN spokesperson on Friday, nearly 590,000 Rohingya refugees have been admitted to camps in Bangladesh and 320,00 refugee children among them are threatened by water-borne diseases and desperate living conditions.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that 589,000 Rohingyas have left Myanmar's northern Rakhine State since alleged retaliation following a deadly rebel militia attack on August 25 against police posts, said Farhan Haq, the UN spokesman.

"Just over half of the new arrivals in Bangladesh are staying in Kutupalong Expansion," Haq added.

As Rohingyas continue to arrive in Bangladesh in huge batches, aid workers fear that once deadly diseases break out in camps it would be difficult to save the refugees from dying.

The most vulnerable among the new arrivals are taken by bus from the border to a transit center, where the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and its partners provide food, water, medical checks and temporary shelter, Haq said.

The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) said that desperate living conditions and water-borne diseases are threatening more than 320,000 Rohingya refugee children, he added.

A new report by the agency said most of the refugees are living in overcrowded and unsanitary makeshift settlements.

Despite an expanding international aid effort led by the government of Bangladesh, the report said that the essential needs of many children are not being met, the spokesman said.

"The UNICEF is also calling for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Rakhine State, as well as for humanitarian actors to be given immediate and unfettered access."

The UN has recently announced a conference for donors next Monday in Geneva. Officials said they hope to raise $434 million to aid Rohingya refugees and their hosts, some 11.2 million people in all.

Recently, a video footage, captured by a drone, showcased how thousands of Rohingya Muslims are fleeing large-scale violence and persecution in Myanmar and crossing into Bangladesh to save their lives.

OneIndia News

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