Communicable disease in Rohingya camps

The Rohingya refugee crisis continues to pose enormous humanitarian and public health challenges to Bangladesh. Nowhere is this more evident than in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar where nearly one million Rohingya refugees live. They live in some of the most densely populated camps in the world.
Overcrowded shelters, inadequate sanitation, unsafe water sources and poor nutrition have created conditions ripe for the spread of infectious diseases. Outbreaks of cholera, acute diarrhoea, tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles and skin infections are recurrent in the camps. Respiratory illnesses continue to burden children and the elderly. Therefore, a minor infection can quickly escalate into a life-threatening epidemic.
The health burden is not confined to the Rohingya alone. The host community in Cox's Bazar is equally at risk of communicable diseases. So, it creates a dual challenge protecting a vulnerable displaced population while also safeguarding national public health security. Failure to address the crisis comprehensively could have consequences well beyond Ukhia.
Despite various efforts from the government, international NGOs and local health workers, the response is increasingly strained. Humanitarian funding has been shrinking, leaving vaccination programmes, nutrition support and disease surveillance under pressure. Health facilities inside the camps are overcrowded, understaffed and often undersupplied. As resources dwindle, the likelihood of uncontrolled outbreaks grows stronger.
What is urgently required is a renewed commitment both nationally and internationally to strengthen health interventions in Ukhia. This means sustained investment in disease surveillance, expanding immunisation coverage, ensuring uninterrupted supply of essential medicines and improving access to clean water and sanitation. Equally important is community engagement and empowering Rohingya refugees with health education, hygiene practices and active participation in prevention strategies.
Bangladesh has borne an extraordinary burden in hosting the Rohingya for eight years, displaying remarkable generosity and resilience. But the communicable disease crisis in Ukhia is not just a humanitarian issue; it is a matter of global public health. The international community must recognise the problem. There is no room for complacency. If the world truly stands in solidarity with the Rohingya, then urgent, coordinated and well-funded action against communicable diseases must follow.

Dr. Md Rifat Al Mazid Bhuiyan
Post Graduate Fellow,
Rajshahi Medical College.
rifatalmazid@gmail.com