CBS News: 29 children and babies reportedly die while families seek safety during Syria’s winter
“At least 29 newborns and children have reportedly died over the past two months while heading to a Syrian refugee camp or not long after getting there, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday. Most of them died from hypothermia as they joined tens of thousands of people seeking safety during Syria’s winter…” (Baldwin, 1/31).

The Guardian: Children and babies die as temperatures plummet in Syria
“…Many have walked or traveled in open trucks for days in bitterly cold weather to reach al-Hol, the main camp for displaced people, only to spend several nights in the facility’s open-air reception areas without tents, blankets, or heating. ‘The situation in the camp is now critical,’ the WHO warned in a statement. ‘The authorities are overwhelmed and struggling to cope with the sheer numbers of people. Many new arrivals are malnourished and exhausted following years of deprivation living under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.’… Humanitarian access to the camp in al-Hasakah governorate, and to surrounding roads, has been hampered by bureaucratic obstacles and security constraints…” (Ratcliffe, 1/31).

New York Times: 29 Syrian Children Die During Freezing Escape From the Islamic State
“…Almost a third of the displaced people are younger than five, [WHO] said. … Shortages are everywhere — of tents, latrines, medical care, and sanitation facilities — leaving thousands of people who have already endured years living under Islamic State rule and a miserable march to the camp to spend several nights there without any shelter or even blankets…” (Yee, 1/31).

Additional coverage of the situation in Syria and the WHO statement is available from NPR, U.N. News, and Xinhua.