16, Jan 2018 | CJP Team

A UNICEF press release said the agency has cautioned that more than 520,000 Rohingya refugee children housed in “overcrowded camps” in Bangladesh are at risk as the cyclone and monsoon seasons approach. 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” because of the impending cyclone and monsoon seasons, UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Edouard Beigbedar said, indicating that “unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene” could raise the risk of Hepatitis E and malaria. According to UNICEF, more than 4,000 suspected diptheria cases have been reported among the refugees, with 32 deaths of which at least 24 were children. While UNICEF and partner organisations are working to combat disease and unsanitary conditions, “overcrowding and the growing risk of extreme weather increases the risk of further outbreaks,” the press release noted. Moreover, the cyclone season, and the monsoon season after that, could cause landslides and flooding, and could damage infrastructure such as latrines and water systems.