Summary:

As of 1 October 2017, more than 809,000 Rohingyas are estimated to be sheltering in Bangladesh, having fled violence and persecution in Myanmar. Violence which began on 25 August has triggered a massive and swift refugee influx across the border – an estimated 509,000 people have arrived in the space of a month. These refugees have joined some 300,000 people who were already in Bangladesh following earlier waves of displacement. The Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar is highly vulnerable, many having experienced severe trauma, and are now living in extremely difficult conditions.
The existing refugees, along with the unprecedented volume of new arrivals, have put immense strain on infrastructure, services and the host population, overwhelming existing response capacity. Most who have arrived came with very few possessions. They are now reliant on humanitarian assistance for food, and other life-saving needs. Population movements remain highly fluid, with people settling into pre-existing makeshift or spontaneous sites before infrastructure and services have been established. Many sites are now alarmingly overcrowded, exacerbating risks to people’s security, safety and wellbeing. In these highly congested conditions there is an increasingly high risk of an outbreak of disease.