Ahead of upcoming cyclone and monsoon seasons, the health and safety of more than 520,000 Rohingya kids living in overcrowded camps and informal settlements in Cox's Bazar may face even greater risk.
Edouard Beigbeder, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Bangladesh, came up with the warning note on Tuesday.
According to him, "Hundreds of thousands of children are already living in horrific conditions, and they will face an even greater risk of disease, flooding, landslides and further displacement (during cyclone and monsoon seasons)."
In a statement, he said unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene conditions can lead to cholera outbreaks and to Hepatitis E, a deadly disease for pregnant women and their babies, while standing water pools can attract malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Keeping children safe from disease must be an absolute priority.
The statement said more than 4,000 suspected cases of diphtheria have been reported among the Rohingya population with 32 deaths including at least 24 children.
UNICEF and partners have launched a diphtheria vaccination campaign, and are working to provide children and families with access to safe water and sanitation facilities, but overcrowding and the growing risk of extreme weather increases the risk of further outbreaks, it said.
In addition to the increased threat of disease outbreaks, the cyclone season brings an increased risk of flooding and landslides, a direct risk to children's lives, it said.
BSS quoting the statement said even a moderate storm could have a devastating impact, with little time to prepare ahead of the start of the cyclone season in March.
"Tropical cyclones generally strike Bangladesh in two seasons, March through July and September through December, with the greatest number of storms arriving in May and October," it said.
In May last year, Cyclone Mora barreled through the region, destroying approximately one quarter of the makeshift shelters in Rohingya camps and causing widespread damage, it also said.
The statement said the regular monsoon rains starting in June could bring devastating landslides and floods. There is a serious risk that shelters, water systems, latrines and other infrastructure could be severely damaged in storms or floods.
Bangladesh government has, it read, generously taken in more than 650,000 Rohingyas since August 25, 2017 and has been working with UNICEF to deliver life-saving support to the most recent and previous influxes of Rohingyas as well the host community in Cox's Bazar.