As floods subside in Bangladesh, the threat from disease and drowning remains, particularly for children.

In northern Bangladesh, a mother sits up throughout the night, too anxious to go to sleep for fear of what might happen to her small son.Thirty-five-year-old Kamrunn Nahar is married with two children and lives in Bashalia village, which was completely under water for 15 days. "I am afraid to go to sleep in case I find the children have gone playing in the water, fallen in and died," she said.

In response to the critical health needs of people in the affected regions, the Bangladesh Red Crescent, with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, will be providing basic health care to 350,000 people over eight months. This will include sending out 15 mobile medical teams. The British Red Cross is supporting the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in Bangladesh through its Asia Floods Appeal.

Dirty

Throughout northern Bangladesh, desperate parents are trying to teach their unaware children about the dangers of playing in the dirty floodwaters.

"We didn't know what was happening when the water was coming. The children were afraid but at the same time they love to play with the water," said Munjary (45) of Maijhaly village.

"All around mothers were holding their children to them. One of my grandsons fell in the water and died – he was just one-and-a-half years old. He was called Chejanush."

Distraught

For the distraught millions, many of whom have lost everything, teaching their children to fear the water is a strange and contradictory experience.

Many of the villages affected lie on riverbanks and children are encouraged to play and swim in the water from a young age.

"We try to keep the children at home and tell them not to go near the water but it is so difficult. The risk is always there. The children were brought up around the water. They were never taught to stay away – they were taught to learn swimming so one day they could be a fisherman. To protect them now is difficult," she said.

Concern

As children happily play in the infected water, concerns over health risks continue to grow. For 26-year-old Jobed Ali and his wife Rokia (19), the daily despair continues as they watch over their small son, Rahim, who is three years old.

"Our son got sick from the floodwater. He fell in and has had a fever, cough, headache and jaundice. We took refuge in the school but there was not enough food there, so now we have come home. He still has a fever but he is getting better."