Rohingya refugees in BD exceeded

Monitoring Desk

ISTANBUL: The World Health Organization on Tuesday said an estimated 688,000 Rohingyas refugees had crossed over into Bangladesh from Myanmar since Aug. 25, 2017, joining over 200,000 people who had arrived earlier.

In a written statement issued on Tuesday, the WHO said the camps — which it called the world’s biggest refugee settlement areas — were risking disease outbreaks. Urging further efforts in health services for nearly 1.3 million people in Cox’s Bazar — Rohingyas and their surrounding host communities — the WHO said health needs continued to be immense.

According to the regional director for WHO South-East Asia, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, cited in the statement, major efforts had been made by the Bangladeshi government and partner agencies to prevent the spread of diseases such as cholera and to rapidly control outbreaks of measles and diphtheria. “However, the challenges are huge, multiple and evolving. The magnitude of the crisis requires continued efforts and generous contributions by all partners to scale up health services for the people,” she said. AA