Refugee health

What health risks do refugees face?

In the cramped, basic conditions of a refugee camp, disease gains a strong foothold and can spread quickly throughout the population. Aid agencies particularly fear the spread (or epidemics) of:

• Cholera
• Measles
• Meningitis
• Tuberculosis
• Polio

They may also struggle to keep warm and fed in temporary shelters, and may face hypothermia and even starvation.
Refugees are also likely to have been psychologically traumatised by what they have seen. They may have seen their loved ones killed or harmed, they will have had to leave all their possessions and they face a very uncertain future.
Population movement, poor sanitation, water contamination and the interruption of public health programmes are the main reasons for the spread of disease after natural and humanitarian disasters.
Often displaced populations are forced to gather in confined spaces, further enabling the spread of epidemics, such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever.
Another problem is the number of injured people who need to be treated. However, according to the World Health Organisation, the presence of dead bodies isn't a major factor in the spread of communicable diseases in these situations.
The impact can be huge, from high mortality or death rates in refugee camps to many long term health issues in refugee populations who may then live for years dislocated and in poverty.

Cholera

The spread of cholera is one of the main dangers following a humanitarian disaster - whether natural or enforced. Cholera is an acute infection of the gut which causes pronounced diarrhoea and vomiting. This can lead to severe dehydration and, in some extreme cases, death. However, many people who are infected by the bacteria don’t become ill and 90 per cent of those who do are only mildly or moderately ill.
Cholera is spread by contaminated water and food. The infection is most deadly when it arrives unexpectedly because there are often no facilities for treatment or because people cannot get treatment in time. Cholera can be effectively treated with oral rehydration salts and antibiotics. Containing a cholera outbreak involves ensuring there are proper sanitation methods for disposing of sewage, an adequate clean drinking water supply and good food hygiene.
New oral cholera vaccines have come into use in recent years improving the protection against this disease. However they don’t provide complete protection against all strains of cholera, and its important to continue to follow strict hygiene measures.

What help is available to refugees?

The World Health Organisation's Emergency and Humanitarian Action division was set up in 1993, and works with United Nations agencies and national health ministries to co-ordinate and implement help in humanitarian disasters. The WHO policy is to work within the emergency measures set out in the country affected. Its first task in an emergency is to conduct a rapid health assessment in the affected areas within 48 hours of a disaster.
It’s then likely to set up:

• An early epidemic warning system
• Measures to control communicable diseases
• A programme for repairing key hospitals and primary care agencies affected
• Water and sanitation measures
• Programmes for ensuring necessary medical supplies are available

Establishing such measures may mean an appeal to international donors for supplies and help.
READMORE;http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health