The European Union (EU) has released 1 million euro (around 125 million Bangladeshi taka) in humanitarian aid to contain the spread of hepatitis C in the rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar.
This funding will support the response plan outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners providing healthcare in the camps, to screen almost 475,000 people and treat some 135,000 patients, said the EU Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday.
This new funding comes in addition to the humanitarian assistance already allocated to Bangladesh this year. The refugee camps in Cox's Bazar currently register a high prevalence of hepatitis C, affecting nearly a third of the population, with the highest infection rate of any population in the world.
"In addition to the challenges of hepatitis C, Rohingya refugees continue to be heavily reliant on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs, and there remains a lack of durable solutions for this protracted crisis," the release added.
Prevention activities will also be carried out, including infection prevention and control, waste management, and risk communication and community engagement with the affected population.
