ULA begins vaccinating children under two in AA-controlled areas

By Admin 03 Nov 2025

DMG Newsroom

3 November 2025, Mrauk-U

The Department of Public Health under the United League of Arakan (ULA) has begun vaccinating children under the age of two in townships controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), including Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw.

The vaccines being administered include those for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Japanese encephalitis (JE), diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT), polio (OPV), and congenital glucose deficiency (G6PD).

A person close to the Department of Public Health said: "We have been preparing to launch the vaccination programme since the end of October. This month, children in some townships have already received their vaccines."

According to the department, children are routinely vaccinated against 12 diseases - including tuberculosis, hepatitis B, polio, diarrhoea and measles - following an age-specific immunization schedule from two months to 10 years.

"We have been collecting data to see if vaccinations will be carried out in our village. Some villages have already started," said a 30-year-old woman from Mrauk-U Township.

Since renewed fighting erupted in Arakan State in November 2023, the military regime has restricted the transport of goods by land and sea, leading to shortages of medicine and disruptions to regular vaccination services.

Parents have expressed concern about the health and development of their children amid the lack of routine immunization.

"If children are not vaccinated at the right time, I worry about whether they will grow properly and stay free from disease. Older children have received some vaccines, but I'm more worried about the younger ones," said a 28-year-old displaced woman in Kyauktaw Township.

Previously, children were able to receive free vaccines through the government and international organizations, but these services have been suspended amid the conflict.

With the regime's blockade and restrictions on the flow of goods and medicine, Arakan State has faced severe shortages for nearly two years. The ULA's Department of Public Health is now working to resume vaccination coverage in its administered areas.