Number of Rohingya HIV/AIDS patients on the rise

An outbreak of HIV/AIDS, according to the officials at the health department, is feared at the Rohingya camps in Teknaf and Ukhia upazilas and in other parts of Cox’s Bazar district.

The government officials, who are closely involved with the matter, said the transmission of the HIV/AIDS is now expanding to different parts of the districts.

So far 52 people, including 38 Bangladeshis, died of HIV/AIDS since 31 December 2015 in Cox’s Bazar, said officials at district health administration and the Rohingya camps management authorities.

They added that the health condition of more 50 others is critical, too.

Asked about the matter, Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital’s residential medical officer (RMO) Shaheen Abdur Rahman Chowdhury told Prothom Alo as many as 378 people have been found diagnosed with AIDS virus in Cox’s Bazar since 31 December 2015. 

Of them, 258 are Rohingya people while remaining 120 are Bangladeshis.

Shaheen said, categorically, of them people 165 are males, 164 females and 48 children and one of them is transgender.

At present, as many as 273 people including 211 Rohingyas are undergoing medical treatment. Of them, 40 people are in critical condition.

A 45-year-old woman who came to the Rohingya camp last year added to the latest death toll.

The government official said the Bangladeshis who were either diagnosed with HIV/AIDS or died of the disease had been in the Middle East for work. It is suspected that they have been infected with the virus while staying in the Middle East.

Officials at the district health department said 20 Rohingyas have been detected with the virus after they came to Bangladesh while others were earlier informed about their infection during their stay in Myanmar.

Balukhali Rohingya camp’s boatman Zakir Hossain told Prothom Alo that a few HIV/AIDS infected people were staying at his camp.

A relative of an AIDS infected person said most of them were infected either during blood transfusion or due to using the same needle.

As per the World Health Organization, civil surgeon Abdus Salam said, one cannot be examined unless s/he agrees to do the medical test for HIV.

The number of HIV infected people could much higher among the Rohingyas once they have been examined properly, he added.

He said the Health Department is worried about the matter.

Civil society platform, Cox’s Bazar Banchao Andolan’s general secretary lawyer Ayasur Rahman said it is certainly a matter of concern.

He said as it is a tourism hub, there is a possibility to spread the virus across the country.

[Abdul Kuddus, Staff Correspondent at Cox’s Bazar, and Teknaf Correspondent, Gias Uddin, assisted in providing information]

*This piece is rewritten in English by Toriqul Islam.