Rohingyas account for 81.58% of dengue patients in Cox’s Bazar

English News Desk : The number of dengue cases in Cox’s Bazar’s Rohingya camps are on the rise with residents accounting for 81.58% of the total patients in Cox’s Bazar.

According to the data released by Cox’s Bazar civil surgeon’s office, from January to August, a total of 13,737 individuals got affected with dengue in Cox’s Bazar district, and 13 people died from it and Of these cases, 11,207 were Rohingyas.

In the past week alone, an additional 2,276 new cases of dengue have been identified within the district, with a substantial majority of 1,830 cases affecting Rohingyas.

Shah Fahim Ahmad Faisal, a medical officer at the Cox’s Bazar Civil Surgeon’s Office, expressed deep concern about the vulnerability of the Rohingya camps and their surrounding areas to dengue.

Abu Toha Md R Haque Bhuiyan, coordinator of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s Office in Cox’s Bazar, said the high population in the Rohingya camps creates ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed in stagnant water, especially in clogged drains.

“The decreasing rainfall is expected to lead to a reduction in dengue cases in the near future” he added.

Earlier in 2022, Cox’s Bazar recorded a total of 19,231 dengue cases, with 15,636 Rohingyas and 3,585 Bangladeshi locals affected, resulting in 39 fatalities. Among the deceased, 26 were Rohingyas, and 13 were local residents.