Internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Karenni State, near the border with southern Shan State, are reporting a surge in malaria, dengue fever, respiratory illnesses, and skin diseases at the onset of the rainy season, according to sources from the camps. A shortage of medicines and limited income among residents are also reportedly worsening the situation.
IDP camps, which often accommodate both displaced people and locals in extremely crowded conditions, can facilitate the spread of infectious diseases such as seasonal influenza and skin infections.
According to figures from the Interim Executive Council of Karenni State, 92,577 patients visited clinics it operates, and health workers predict that patient numbers will rise at the start of this year’s rainy season.
“In overcrowded IDP camps in the jungle, when one person becomes sick, the illness can spread very quickly to others. Clinics provide free medicines, but supplies are not sufficient. With no income, IDPs cannot afford to buy medicines from outside pharmacies, and high prices make the situation even more difficult,” said an IDP from Demoso Township.
In Htaykho Village, west of Hpruso Township, and in IDP camps in Demoso Township, mumps cases among children under 15 have been rising rapidly since the second week of May. Mumps is a contagious viral infection that causes painful swelling of the salivary glands.
Nearly all children in the villages are suffering from mumps, but parents are unable to take them to clinics in urban areas due to the high cost of transportation.
“Children with mumps become sick and develop swelling under their ears. They should be taken to clinics in urban areas, but this is not feasible due to high travel costs, fuel prices, and unsafe road conditions,” said a woman from western Hpruso.
In the Htale IDP camp in Hpruso Township, many children and some adults are suffering from skin diseases, with some patients experiencing persistent symptoms lasting up to a month.
There is no clinic within the camp, and it takes about two hours to reach the nearest health center. Health teams visit only once every three months, leaving the current health problems largely unaddressed.
Due to increased mosquito breeding during the rainy season, more than 10,000 people across four IDP camps in eastern Loikaw Township are also grappling with malaria outbreaks.
According to healthcare staff in the area, around eight in ten patients visiting clinics are showing symptoms of malaria. The Kayah Li Phu Youth Charity Organization, which is assisting IDPs, said the camps are in urgent need of mosquito nets.
“There are so many mosquitoes here that it is almost impossible to sleep at night without a mosquito net. Medicines are also in very short supply at the clinics,” said an IDP in from eastern Loikaw Township.
Similarly, Kyaytone IDP camp, located on the Shan–Karenni border and sheltering more than 200 households with a population of over 2,000, is also seeing a rise in health problems at the onset of the rainy season. Elderly residents with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes are unable to afford medicines, Kantarawaddy Times, a Karenni news agency also reported.
On May 17, a 40-year-old man in the camp was taken to hospital after vomiting blood during severe coughing, but he died on the way. Residents are now concerned that a serious dengue fever outbreak may be spreading in the camp.
Currently, IDP camps in Karenni State are entirely dependent on donors for healthcare. A shortage of medicines and inadequate nutrition are hampering efforts to prevent the spread of serious diseases, highlighting an urgent need for domestic and international assistance.
