Clinical Illnesses and Causes of Death in a Burmese Refugee Camp in Bangladesh

• Published in: International journal of epidemiology 1983-01, Vol.12 (4), p.460-464
• Main Authors: KHAN, MOSLEM UDDIN, MUNSHI, M H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Bangladesh; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Diarrhea - epidemiology; Diarrhea - microbiology; Diarrhea - mortality; Environment. Living conditions; Female; General aspects; Humans; Infant; Male; Medical sciences; Morbidity; Mortality; Myanmar - ethnology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Refugees; Tropical medicine
• ISSN: 0300-5771; 1464-3685
• DOI: 10.1093/ije/12.4.460

In 1978 almost 200000 Burmese refugees entered Bangladesh. Thirteen camps were set up for refugees. Data for the camp at Leda is presented here. There were four medical clinics; including a diarrhoea clinic operated by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. The four clinics recorded a total of 174201 visits by the refugees, of which 28% were for watery diarrhoea, 32% for dysentery and 40% for other illnesses. Of 2321 diarrhoea stools cultured. 29.2% yielded pathogens of which 22% were Shigellae alone. Coliform count of water was extremely high. The death rate (89/1000/year) was higher than the birth rate (28/1000/year). Most of the deaths were among infants (640), children (357) and old people (131). Main causes of death were clinical diarrhoea (11.8%), fever (23%) and poor nutrition (52%). Prompt arrangements for food, identifying the vulnerable groups, and proper sanitation perhaps could have reduced the number of deaths considerably.