Due to the poor accommodation conditions, hundreds of migrants in the Una-Sana Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina are facing the threat of epidemics, cantonal health minister Hazim Kapic told local media on Saturday.

According to Kapic, cantonal authorities are expected to declare a head lice and pruritus outbreak over the next several days.

“So far we have recorded over 80 infected migrants, but we believe this number is much bigger. Our teams are trying to keep the situation under control to avoid a mass spreading of the diseases,” said the minister.

Hundreds of migrants, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, have reached this canton located in the north-west of Bosnia, on the border with Croatia, in attempt to cross the border and reach their final destinations in the western Europe. The authorities in both countries have been dealing with illegal attempts of border crossing, which recently resulted in an accident.