Narinjara News, September 19/2024
Diarrhea has claimed the lives of seven people, including six
children, at the Ah Nauk Ye Muslim internally displaced people (IDP) camp in
Pauktaw Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State.
Camp officials reported that the fatalities occurred in
stages: four children died on September 4, two children on September 8, and an
adult woman on September 17. The outbreak initially affected children, with the
first cases emerging on September 3.
“Living conditions in the IDP camp, characterized by high
temperatures and poor water quality, are problematic,” said a camp official. “Diarrhea
began with the children and is now spreading to adults,” he added.
Currently, more than 250 individuals in the camp are suffering
from diarrhea, facing difficulties in accessing adequate medical care. While
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders,
previously provided health services, the organization is currently unable to
offer comprehensive care.
“An MSF team is providing health care, but it’s currently
inconvenient for them to deliver medical care directly. Their on-the-ground
volunteers also face problems with a shortage of medicine. Despite these
challenges, they are offering education on disease management and proper water
use,” the official explained.
Residents are deeply concerned about the potential for further
casualties due to the outbreak.
The Ah Nauk Ye Rohingya Muslim IDP camp houses 2,391 males and 3,407
females, totaling 5,798 displaced persons spread across 1,197 households.
In April, a similar diarrhea outbreak in Sittwe Township camps
resulted in approximately 80 deaths among Muslim IDPs. (File photo)