Rohingya refugees who fled the ethnic unrest in Myanmar have contributed to the alarming increase in the number of moderately or severely malnourished children, United Nations' children's fund said on Oct. 28. The children need urgent medical attention to save their lives.
According to UNICEF, 59,604 children among the 604,000 Rohingya refugees were examined on their arrival at Bangladesh since Aug. 25. They found 1,970 of those children suffer from severe acute malnutrition and 7,000 from moderate acute malnutrition, said Marixie Mercado, UNICEF spokesperson, according to Herald Tribune.
UNICEF has established 15 care centers for treatment and nutrition, including a mobile camp. Another six will be set up in a new, 7,413-acre refugee camp called Kutupalong Extension.
About 1,700 recently-arrived refugees will be shifted to Kutupalong Extension for better treatment, said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
According to Mercado, many children arrive at Bangladesh in an already malnourished state. It only worsens in time due to no attention.
Cases of measles have been detected among the refugees, she added.
Despite the recent vaccination campaign against cholera, the risk of diarrheal diseases and dysentery remained exceptionally high.
