According to a study, cold temperatures have been shown to increase cases of gastroenteritis among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Gastroenteritis occurs when you have irritation or swelling in the stomach and intestines, usually diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. People often call it “stomach flu”, but this name is misleading because it is not due to flu virus. It can also occur from viruses, bacteria, parasites or some chemicals.

It extends rapidly in congested areas with impaired hygiene, contaminated shallow wells and especially during dry water during dry weather.

Research published at JAMA Network Open shows that small changes in temperature may also increase diarrhea cases in some of the world’s most crowded refugee camps.

Researchers at the University of Hokkaido, Japan saw more than 64,000 cases of gastroenteritis between 2019 and 2021 in Bangladesh’s two major Rohingya camps, Kutupalong and Nayapara.

At the Kutupalong camp, cases of gastroenteritis increased when the temperature dropped or exceeded 26 degrees Celsius. In Naayapara, the risk of infection increased continuously as the temperature declines, without a clear temperature range or twist point.

In both camps, cases were not spike immediately. People usually started getting sick about 18 days after the cold season became a hit, showing that low temperatures were affected by a delay on the spread of the disease.

More than 9,18,000 Rohingya currently live in 34 camps in Bangladesh Bazar after decades of displacement. Some areas of these camps have a population density of more than 60,000 people per square kilometer, which increases the risk of outbreak of infectious disease.

“Due to viral gastroenteritis, such as Norovirus and rotavirus, becomes more prevalent in cold months and can last for two weeks,” said Zerex Sepso of the Graduate School of Medicine Department at Hokkaido University.

“In contrast, the hot temperature causes a favorable condition for bacterial infections such as Salmonella and Campillobacter, which usually causes the disease from a few days to a week,” Sepso said.

His co-writer, Takua Takata highlighted that health systems in refugee settings should be prepared for climate-sensitive challenges. “Temperature extreme, especially cold mantras, usually do not undergo disease surveillance in camps, but they should be,” he said.

SEPOSO emphasized hygiene, water access and urgency of strengthening monitoring in climate-ingredient areas, especially in displaced population.

As the global temperature shifts, health systems must be quickly adapted to save the health systems at an already increased risk.