An infant living in an displacement camp in Demawso Township has died of severe diarrhoea.

A male volunteer, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Kantarawaddy Times that the four-month-old infant living in a camp at Lober Hko village in Karenni State is the third infant to die since last year. Although he couldn’t recall the reasons for the deaths of the others, he pointed out that there’s not enough medicine to treat diseases in the camp caused by drinking dirty water and malnutrition.

“Especially the IDPs in the western Demawso and Hpekon townships are facing many difficulties, including inadequate medicines and food rations. And they don’t have clean water.”

He said IDPs face difficulties getting water during the dry season, which has just passed. Although they receive aid, they aren’t given enough support.

There’s been cases of still deaths among pregnant women. And according to the Civil Health and Development Network, at least seven babies died within a month of their birth in IDP camps in 2021.

The Karenni Civil Society Network reported over 70,000 IDPs in Demawso Township on 11 May.