The Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO), the humanitarian wing of the Arakan Army (AA) and its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), has reported a widespread outbreak of malaria in rural areas of Maungdaw Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State.

An HDCO field team visited rural areas of Maungdaw Township, where random tests were conducted on 100 people across eight villages, revealing 17 positive cases of malaria.

Maungdaw Township faces persistent healthcare challenges, driven by poor transportation, remoteness, poverty, and limited medical infrastructure.

“Right now, malaria is a serious problem for both locals and displaced people. Because it’s the seasonal transition period, the number of cases is even higher. Many locals don’t go for treatment when symptoms are mild, they just endure them. There are no clinics in the villages, and since people can’t afford to travel to the hospital in town, most rely mainly on traditional medicine,” said a woman from Maungdaw Township.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that primarily occurs in the early and late stages of the rainy season, with symptoms typically appearing 10 days to 4 weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

The HDCO has warned that mosquito breeding increases in Arakan State during the rainy season, highlighting the need for heightened vigilance against malaria.

HDCO is working to combat mosquito-borne diseases in AA-controlled areas, but its efforts are often limited in remote, hard-to-reach regions like Maungdaw Township.

“There are very few hospitals and clinics in rural areas, and people’s basic health knowledge is quite limited. When someone gets sick, they often rely on what little they know and try improvised treatments, which can lead to deaths that could have been avoided. I think if the AA could carry out effective health education in these remote villages, such cases could be reduced. There should also be more efforts, like mosquito control and disinfection activities,” said a member of a Maungdaw-based civil society organization.

In Arakan State, flu cases are also increasing in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, Mrauk-U, and Ponnagyun townships.

In Ponnagyun Township, around 60 percent of the population has already been affected by the flu. The illness typically causes symptoms such as fever, runny nose, cough, and body aches, and in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting.