COVID-19 preventive measures in Rohingya refugee camps: An assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice

Halder, Charls Erik; Hasan, Md Abeed; Mohamud, Yussuf Mohamed; Nyawara, Marsela; Okello, James Charles; Mizan, Md Nahid; Sayum, Md Abu; Hossain, Ahmed; Willam, Andrew; Tassdik, Hamim

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0282558

Cited by 2 publications

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

COVID-19 Epidemiology in Fragile Contexts: A Descriptive Analysis of COVID-19 in Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh During the First Year of the Pandemic

Salem-Bango,

Hasan,

Agbogan

et al. 2024

Disaster med. public health prep.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives In 2020, COVID-19 modeling studies predicted rapid epidemic growth and quickly overwhelmed health systems in humanitarian and fragile settings due to preexisting vulnerabilities and limited resources. Despite the growing evidence from Bangladesh, no study has examined the epidemiology of COVID-19 in out-of-camp settings in Cox’s Bazar during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020-March 2021). This paper aims to fill this gap. Methods Secondary data analyses were conducted on case and testing data from the World Health Organization and the national health information system via the District Health Information Software 2. Results COVID-19 in Cox’s Bazar was characterized by a large peak in June 2020, followed by a smaller wave in August/September and a new wave from March 2021. Males were more likely to be tested than females (68% vs. 32%, P < 0.001) and had higher incidence rates (305.29/100 000 males vs. 114.90/100 000 female, P < 0.001). Mortality was significantly associated with age (OR: 87.3; 95% CI: 21.03-350.16, P < 0.001) but not sex. Disparities existed in testing and incidence rates among upazilas. Conclusions Incidence was lower than expected, with indicators comparable to national-level data. These findings are likely influenced by the younger population age, high isolation rates, and low testing capacity. With testing extremely limited, true incidence and mortality rates are likely higher, highlighting the importance of improving disease surveillance in fragile settings. Data incompleteness and fragmentation were the main study limitations.

show abstract

COVID-19 Epidemiology in Fragile Contexts: A Descriptive Analysis of COVID-19 in Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh During the First Year of the Pandemic

Salem-Bango,

Hasan,

Agbogan

et al. 2024

Disaster med. public health prep.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The Practice of Gender and Protection Mainstreaming in Health Response in Humanitarian Crisis - A Case Study from the Refugee Camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Halder

2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe health system is required to be safe, equitable, and accessible to all ages, gender, and vulnerable groups, including older persons and persons with disability, and address their specific needs and concerns. However, limited evidence is available on the effectiveness and practicality of gender and protection mainstreaming interventions in health response in humanitarian crises.ObjectiveThe overall objective of the research was to explore practices, gaps, and challenges and generate recommendations regarding gender and protection mainstreaming in health response to the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.MethodologyThe research employed a qualitative case study design to explore the practice of gender and protection mainstreaming in health response in Cox’s Bazar. Data collection methods include an extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with professionals.ResultThe study found a range of good practices on gender and protection mainstreaming in health response, e.g. placement of a gender action plan, monitoring system for gender and disability inclusion, emergency preparedness and response system, availability of sex-segregated toilets and waiting spaces, availability of gender-based violence service and engagement of female community health workers. The study also revealed some best practices which have the potential to scale up, e,g. psycho-social spaces at health facilities for children, palliative care for terminally ill patients, integrated medical and protection services, and facilitation of community health facility support groups. Critical gaps were found in the areas of women’s leadership, coordination, capacity building, targeted interventions for vulnerable groups, infrastructural adaptation and consultation with the community on their concerns.ConclusionWe urge policymakers, sector coordinators, health program management, healthcare workers, and global stakeholders to address the gaps and challenges, learn and scale up the best practices, and take action to implement the study’s recommendations to maximise gender and protection mainstreaming in health response.

show abstract

COVID-19 preventive measures in Rohingya refugee camps: An assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice

Cited by 2 publications

References 25 publications

COVID-19 Epidemiology in Fragile Contexts: A Descriptive Analysis of COVID-19 in Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh During the First Year of the Pandemic

COVID-19 Epidemiology in Fragile Contexts: A Descriptive Analysis of COVID-19 in Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh During the First Year of the Pandemic

The Practice of Gender and Protection Mainstreaming in Health Response in Humanitarian Crisis - A Case Study from the Refugee Camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About