“Rising number of fungal skin infection cases among Rohingya refugee population in Cox Bazar,Bangladesh”

Following reports of recent increase in the prevalence of fungal skin infections among Rohingya refugees in Cox Bazar, Rohingya Medics Organisation as promised has come up with a detailed discussion with Rohingya Medics Organisation´s Dermatologist Dr. Ruksana on this infectious and contagious disease. Overcrowded camps, inadequate supplies of clean water and lack of sanitary conditions play a crucially important role in spreading of the disease as it is transmittable in nature.

Untreated and long-standing chronic conditions as well as chronic malnutrition along with certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies also add to the decreased immunity making them extremely vulnerable to this particular infectious skin condition.

Rohingya Medics Organisation makes their best attempt considering the skin diseases and infections suffered by the Rohingya refugees to provide from basic to advance information as part of our preventive public health education project. We strongly believe that Rohingya people suffering from fungal infections affecting different parts of the body will benefit enormously. The probability is extremely high that skin infections like Ringworm/Tinea and many other skin conditions caused by dermatophytes will continue to be a massive problem in these Rohingya refugees taking shelter in the largest and most crowded refugee camp in the world. We recommend that Bangladesh`s Health Ministry and international medical NGOs and other affiliated partners involved in providing health care to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh take this very matter seriously and find an immediate solution. Screening programs might be one quick approach for an early detection and control of this condition among Rohingya refugees in such camps.

Disclaimer: Rohingya Medics Organisation has used some relevant photographs/videos from the camps with patients' informed consent.