Dengue fever and malaria worries at Arakan State IDP camps in wake of cyclone

By Admin 18 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
18 June 2023, Sittwe

Cases of dengue fever and malaria have been reported in some camps for internally displaced people (IDP) in Arakan state due to mosquito bites, according to IDPs and displacement camp officials.

Cases of dengue fever and malaria have become more common at some displacement camps in cyclone-hit Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw and Rathedaung townships, where standing water provides the ideal environment for mosquitoes to breed.

About 20 children under the age of 8 at Ponnagyun Township’s Ahtet Myethle IDP camp, which is home to more than 600 people from 119 households, are suffering from malaria.

“Some of the children said that their bodies were shivering and cold due to malaria. Children get malaria mainly because there are no mosquito nets. Some children have diarrhoea,” said a camp official.

As there is no healthcare service in the displacement camp, the IDPs have to go to the town and nearby villages to receive medical treatment.

There are also cases of diarrhoea in the IDP camps due to the rising tide during the storm and the unsanitary water.

Cases of diarrhoea and malaria are reported at Cedipyin displace camp, which accommodates about 800 people from 166 households, in Rathedaung Township.

“About 10 people in the displacement camp are suffering from diarrhoea and malaria. I think IDPs get diarrhoea and malaria mainly due to the dirty environment and unsanitary toilets. All toilets and shelters at the displacement camp were destroyed by the cyclonic storm and we cannot repair the damaged homes or toilets yet,” said Daw May Su Hlaing, an IDP woman from Cedipyin displacement camp.

Out of approximately 300 children at the Wah Taung IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township, about 10 children are suffering from malaria and diarrhoea. U Naing Tun Win, the camp in-charge, said healthcare services are urgently needed as children are finding it difficult to receive medical treatment.

“Many children at the camp suffer from malaria and diarrhoea and are in need of healthcare services. IDPs face more hardships as they are different from ordinary people and have no regular income,” he told DMG.

Standing water following Cyclone Mocha’s storm surge and an increase in garbage production have resulted in conditions more conducive to mosquito breeding than last year, the Arakan State Department of Health has said.

The Arakan State Department of Health says it is working with 20 health workers in each town to provide general healthcare and prevent diarrheal diseases due to unclean drinking water.