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ISCG Situation Report: Rohingya Refugee Crisis, Cox’s Bazar | December 2019

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Bangladesh
+ 1 more
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ISCG
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During December, an Oral Cholera Vaccination campaign was carried out, reaching 162,895 Rohingya refugee children and 528,297 Bangladeshi children in host communities in both Ukhia and Teknaf Upazilas. The campaign was launched in response to the increased number of positive cases of Acute Watery Diarrhoea, 237 of which were reported from 5 September to 25 December 2019. There was a signficant spike in measles cases: a measles immunization plan is in place to begin in January 2020, targeting all Rohingya children between 6 months and 10 years of age. The Emergency Preparedness Working Group held a simulation exercise and workshop to review cyclone preparedness in light of Cyclone Bulbul, which reached landfall in Bangladesh on 9 November. The major impact was experienced to the west of Cox’s Bazar: the cyclone caused no significant damage to Rohingya refugees or members of the host community, but its approach highlighted gaps in preparedness. Key lessons learned from the exercise included a need to improve coordination and communication across emergency response teams. On 31st December, Phase II of the joint Government of Bangladesh/UNHCR bio-metric registration exercise was completed, with the database now largely complete (see footnote). Continuous registration to take into account shifts in the population and its demographics, such as births, deaths and marriages (Phase III), will commence on 15th of January 2020.

914,998 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar

905,822 refugees identified in camps according to the RRRC-UNHCR family counting exercise (including 34,172 registered before 31 Aug 2017).

9,176 refugees estimated in host communities in Ukhiya/Teknaf Upazilas according to UNHCR data