Descriptive Study on Hygiene Problems Faced by Sri Lankan Refugees in Kanyakumari District

Abstract

Background: Infected water and poor sanitation are the major challenges that refugee’s families and individuals in India, especially in the Kanyakumari District experience due to overcrowding. These conditions compound health problems, such as contracting of infectious diseases among the displaced persons and erode the general standards of their health. Although the question of enhancing quality of living for refugees is acknowledged, the type of difficulties in this area that refugees face is not elucidated enough in the Indian context in terms of hygiene.

Objectives: This present study intended to find out and evaluate different important hygiene difficulties in the context of refugee camps in Kanyakumari District, where important problems like low quality and the availability, inadequate sanitation and practices of waste disposal and scarce availability of safe water were found. The research also aimed at looking at how these factors correlate with public health concerns and impact health of refugees.

Methods: The current Philippine study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey among 200 refugees from three larger camps in Kanyakumari District. Pre- and postintervention information was gathered by using closed questionnaires, interviews and counting the number of times that health facilities were observed in the implementation of hygiene practices, status of sanitation facilities and public’s health status.

Results: According to the findings, 68% of refugees had poor hygiene needs that were unmet and got infected with illnesses including diarrhea, cholera and respiratory infections. These problems include overcrowding, poor disposal of wastes and abuse of hygiene.