Urgent medical attention is needed at the Ee Tu Hta displaced persons camp in Kayin State amid an outbreak of diarrhea among children and the elderly, camp officials have said.
The outbreak began on February 20 and has so far affected around 30 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Camp officials are calling for emergency aid, including medicine, to be provided in order to prevent dehydration fatalities as well as to stop the spread of any infection. The Hpapun township camp is home to some 3,000 displaced persons.
“Children under two-years-old have been suffering from diarrhea since last month until now. They have had both diarrhea and vomiting. It is difficult for us to treat them since we don’t have any medicine,” said Saw Mya Ku, a camp official responsible for health care.
The Ee Tu Hta IDP camp normally receives a delivery of medical supplies every six months from the Karen Department of Health and Welfare, which is under the umbrella of the Karen National Union (KNU). But Saw Mya Ku said that no medicine has been provided since last July.
As the number of people affected by diarrhea began to increase in the camp, local organizations came and provided information and sanitation and hygiene on March 8.
