Medical group MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, says overcrowded camps and a lack of proper sanitation will worsen the medical situations currently witnessed in Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp.
Dadaab is made up of three camps, Dagahaley, Ifo, and Hagadera, which are currently hosting more than 300,000 refugees, mainly from Somalia, many of whom have lived in the camps for more than three decades.
MSF medical coordinator in Kenya, Dr. Nitya Udayraj, said in a statement, "It is just a matter of time before we see other epidemics erupt in the camps, such as Hepatitis E."
At least two people have died and 1,120 others have been treated for cholera since the outbreak of the disease in the camp in November last year.
"We have already seen the worst cholera outbreak in five years, and the risk of other epidemics breaking out is high," says Maiyaki. '' If this occurs, it would outstrip medical capacity in the camps, with potentially catastrophic consequences."
MSF now calls on the government of Kenya and UNHCR to fasten the relocation process of refugees to a new camp, Ifo 2, which has been in the plans for a while.
