Forum:
Issue:
Student Officers:
Position:
Crisis Committee
Epidemic Outbreaks in Refugee Camps
Laura Persoon and Nicole Koobs
Co-Chairs of Crisis Committee
Introduction
Alongside the rise in conflicts over the past decades, there has also been an increase in the number
of people who are trying to get away from these conflicts. These refugees are often placed in
refugee camps, which are temporary settlements built to receive refugees. It is not uncommon for a
camp to house over around or more than 100,000 people and in 2012 the average number of
refugees per camp was about 11,400 and still rising. Usually these camps are built and run by the
government, the United Nations and multiple organizations such as the Red Cross or NGOs.
Because many of the camps are overcrowded and lack the infrastructure, resources or care, they can
become unhygienic, even though they claim and aim to meet all basic human needs and rights. This
leads to a high risk of multiple infectious and contagious diseases occurring and being spread,
including epidemics.
In recent events with all the extra refugees entering continents such as Europe and leaving the
Middle East and Africa more refugee camps are being set up. The United Nations, European Union,
multiple countries and their governments, and mainly volunteer organizations are providing refugee
camps to provide a safe place for the refugees to flee to. However from previous experiences and
cases it is known that diseases, infections and epidemics are able to occur and spread with horrific
results. This is an issue that can be prevented and improved. It is up to you dear delegates to come
with solutions to improve circumstances and protect the refugees before such an epidemic is able to
arise. You must be able to react quickly and try and create the best possible solution as soon as
possible because more refugees are entering camps every day and their living conditions are
unfortunately decreasing.
Definition of key terms
Refugee1
A refugee, according to the Geneva Convention on Refugees is a person who is outside their country
of citizenship because they have well-founded grounds for fear of persecution because of their race,
religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, and is unable to
obtain sanctuary from their home country or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail themselves of
the protection of that country; or in the case of not having a nationality and being outside their
country of former habitual residence as a result of such event, is unable or, owing to such fear, is
unwilling to return to their country of former habitual residence. Such a person may be called an
"asylum seeker" until considered with the status of "refugee" by the Contracting State where they
formally make a claim for sanctuary or right of asylum.
Fundamental Human
Needs2
Manfred Max-Neef developed
a system of the fundamental
human needs. These are
constant through all human
cultures and across historical
time periods. Human needs
can be understood as a system
- i.e. they are interrelated and
interactive. In this system,
there is no hierarchy of needs
(apart from the basic need for
subsistence or survival) as is
the case in the Pyramid of
needs, a system developed by
Maslow.
There are several categories of needs, and all are also defined according to the existential categories
of being, having, doing and interacting,as can be seen in the image on the right.3
1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_human_needs
3
http://customerthink.com/emotion_key_transform_satisfied_customers_into_devoted_advocates/
2
Epidemic4
An epidemic is the rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of people in a given
population within a short period of time, usually two weeks or less. For example, in meningococcal
infections, an attack rate in excess of 15 cases per 100,000 people for two consecutive weeks is
considered an epidemic.
Epidemics of infectious disease are generally caused by several factors including a change in the
ecology of the host population (e.g. increased stress or increase in the density of a vector species), a
genetic change in the pathogen reservoir or the introduction of an emerging pathogen to a host
population (by movement of pathogen or host). Generally, an epidemic occurs when host immunity
to either an established pathogen or newly emerging novel pathogen is suddenly reduced below that
found in the endemic equilibrium and the transmission threshold is exceeded.
An epidemic may be restricted to one location; however, if it spreads to other countries or
continents and affects a substantial number of people, it may be termed a pandemic. The
declaration of an epidemic usually requires a good understanding of a baseline rate of incidence;
epidemics for certain diseases, such as influenza, are defined as reaching some defined increase in
incidence above this baseline. A few cases of a very rare disease may be classified as an epidemic,
while many cases of a common disease (such as the common cold) would not.
History and Previous Attempts
since you will be dealing with a crisis and the location of the refugee camp in question is still
unknown, there is not much to tell about the history. Instead, to give you an idea of the results of an
epidemic outbreak and attempts to contain the outbreak, here is a report from a UNHCR press
briefing about the cholera epidemic in Niger.
UNHCR working in Niger to contain cholera epidemic in refugee camps5
Briefing Notes, 21 May 2013
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming – to whom quoted text
may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 21 May 2013, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
A cholera epidemic declared by the Niger government on May 11 has left 7 people dead in the west
of the country, including 2 Malian refugees.
The two refugees are a 45-year-old man who died on May 13, and a 3-year-old boy who passed away
last Sunday, after arriving at the health centre at a late stage of the disease. Both were refugees in
the Mangaize camp which hosts 15,000 in the Tillaberi region.
To date, 248 cases have been registered in the Tillaberi region, including with 31 cases among
refugees in Mangaize and Tabareybarey camps.
Cholera is typically contracted by consuming contaminated water.
4
5
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic
http://www.unhcr.org/519b4baa9.html
We are responding to the outbreak in the camps by implementing emergency health and sanitation
measures, such as increasing the supply of clean water. The affected refugees are being treated in
the Cholera Treatment Centres (CTC) run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (-Suisse). Together with our
partners, we are also providing oral rehydration solutions, soap and aqua tabs. However, more drugs
are urgently needed in the centres to treat potential new cases.
We are working to spread public health messages in the camps through sensitization campaigns. The
same measures are being put in place for the local community in the surrounding areas.
We are currently reinforcing our team with the arrival yesterday (Monday) of a regional health coordinator who will work with authorities and partners on additional measures to contain the
epidemic. The implementation of a vaccination campaign for the population at risk, both inside and
outside the refugee camps, is a measure under consideration.
Last year, a cholera epidemic affected 5,287 people and killed 110 throughout Niger. The region of
Tillaberi was the most affected with 4,792 cases and 87 deaths. No refugee died at that time.
Cholera outbreaks are recurrent in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world. Niger is
currently hosting some 50,000 Malian refugees, including 31 000 in 3 camps in the Tillaberi region.
They fled a conflict in the North of their country which started in early 2012.
The Malian conflict has forced 174,000 people to flee to Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger. It has
also uprooted more than 300,000 Malians inside their country.
Key Issue
overcrowded refugee camps, bad hygiene and lack of medical resources
At the end of 2014 there were 19.5 million refugees worldwide and nearly 60 million people were
counted as forcibly displaced. With the recent events in the Middle East and Africa these figures have
only been increasing drastically. In 2014 alone around 13,9 million people have become newly
displaced. Due to the recent increase and continues flow of refugees entering refugee camps they
have become overcrowded. Resulting in lack of space and resources to be distributed between all the
refugees. This has led to multiple conflicts and issues in and around the camps. One being the
hygiene and treatment provided for the refugees. Because of the overcrowding and overflow of
refugees there is a lack of cleaning
facilities and hygienic
surroundings that influence the
health and well beings of the refugees.
The overcrowding also causes there to
be a lack of medical resources and
treatment for every single refugee.
There is not enough to treat them all or
equally which makes it very difficult for
refugee camps to contain disease
outbursts and heal them.6 7
Major Parties Involved
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6
The UNHCR
The UNHCR is better known as the UN Refugee Agency. It was founded in World War II to
help Europeans that were displaced in conflict. The UNHCR is still active today to try and
help as many refugees and refugee camps as possible. 8
health/medical organisations such as the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors
Without Borders
The countries where the Refugee Camps are stationed
European Union
The European Union has already had many debates and talks what to do with the refugee
crisis and has had a big influence on the situation in Europe. (Only focuses on the refugee
camps in Europe)
The Refugees
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/18/world/unhcr-refugees-most-in-history/
http://www.unhcr.org.uk/about-us/key-facts-and-figures.html
8
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home
7
The Refugees also play a major part in the issue. Many refugees are clueless on how to stay
healthy and hygienic in crowded situations as the one they have ended up in which makes it
easier for them to catch a disease and possibly die. Refugees could also contribute in
keeping their living conditions clean and looking after each other’s health. Potentially
working together with the refugees and creating set rules could improve living conditions.
Possible Solutions
Possible solutions for this issue could be:
● improve and ensure the hygiene in the refugee camps;
● regular checks for symptoms of the most common and most likely diseases to cause an
epidemic, so they can be isolated and treated in time;
● have locations for the relocation and/or isolation of refugees ready
● provide enough medical help and resources
● be prepared for the worse case scenario
● educate refugees on hygiene