Bangladesh has done a tremendous job of providing a safe haven for the Rohingya people, who have fled persecution on an unimaginable scale at the hands of the Myanmar government.
However, we must not ignore the health risks that have arisen as a result.
Because the Rohingya are returning from the very depths of squalour, it only makes sense that, due to their extraordinarily deplorable living conditions, many refugees brought with them various diseases.
As a result, what the government must ensure is that these diseases are contained, and do not spread into Bangladesh’s general populace.
Recent reports have suggested that there is a significant number amongst the Rohingya currently carrying the HIV/AIDS virus. By latest estimates, this number could be in the thousands.
What is scary is that only 83 people have been identified carrying the virus so far, suggesting that most people are not even aware of the fact.
This presents a dangerous situation, and a potential medical disaster.
While the health ministry has taken measures to prevent such an incident, the possibility of an epidemic urges us to be cautious, and to take whatever preventive steps necessary.
With Myanmar showing no clear signs of repatriation, for the moment, we must see the Rohingya as a permanent fixture of our nation’s consciousness.
As such, we must ensure that they receive the medical treatment necessary.
However, the issue of AIDS is not specific to the Rohingya population alone, as experts have suggested that the Bangladeshi population was also prone to the disease, with two-thirds of those affected completely unaware.
We need to address this problem before it before it becomes an unmanageable health crisis.
