Malaria, dengue rising in remote Kyauktaw Twsp villages

By Admin 16 Sep 2024

DMG Newsroom
16 September 2024, Kyauktaw

Cases of malaria and dengue fever in rural Arakan State are on the rise and there have been deaths attributed to the mosquito-borne illnesses in some villages along the upper reaches of the Kaladan River in Kyauktaw Township.

Four people including a child died in Kyauktaw Township's Pyaingtaing Village due to financial difficulties, lack of medicine and proper healthcare assistance, according to other villagers.

"There are no healthcare services here. There are people who die from malaria. People who don't have money can't even go to the hospital to receive medical treatment," said U Sein Thar Htwee, a resident of Pyaingtaing Village.

Incidences of malaria and dengue in Arakan State have doubled compared to last year, with especially notable increases in rural areas, according to the health community.

Villages along the upper reaches of the Kaladan River are prone to mosquito breeding during the rainy season due to a greater concentration of stagnant water environments. Malaria and dengue fever cases tend to be disproportionately higher as a result, even in the best of times.

Residents are calling for urgent healthcare assistance as a growing tally of deaths are blamed on drug shortages due to junta blockades and the related ongoing conflict between regime forces and the Arakkha Army (AA).

"There is no medicine at the pharmacy, or we can't [afford to] buy medicine. There is no proper healthcare service in the village," said Daw Tin Nyunt, a local woman from Malar Village.

Thousands of local people from Tinma, Pyaingtaing, Malar, Myauktaung and Thazi villages in Kyauktaw Township were displaced by fighting between the Myanmar military and AA in March 2020.

Residents of Tinma Village were allowed to return home in March of this year, after the AA seized control of Kyauktaw Town. But returning IDPs have reported facing everyday difficulties in terms of livelihood prospects, lack of access to healthcare and a variety of other challenges.