Nine villages in Mindat Township, Chin State, are suffering from diarrheal diseases, resulting in fatalities, the Mindat Internally Displaced People (IDP) Management Committee reported.
In No. 10 and 13 regions of Mindat, nine villages with a total population of around 1,000 people are experiencing diarrhea outbreaks, resulting in the deaths of at least two elderly residents in a village.
According to Ko Laurance, the committee's in-charge person, the village is now under temporary entry and exit restrictions, as well as quarantine measures.
"Even among my family members, there are people suffering from diarrhea, but it is not very severe. However, in No. 10 and 13 regions, the situation is very serious. In a total of nine villages, the diarrhea outbreak is critical and requires pressing responses. Other villages in the region also have some issues with diarrhea”, he said.
In the early rainy season, many villages in Mindat are experiencing diarrhea cases almost simultaneously.
However due to the Junta's stringent blockades, importing medicine into the region is very difficult, and the healthcare process is struggling to operate effectively.
The Junta's harsh blockade has made it extremely difficult to import medicine into Mindat, severely hindering the effectiveness of healthcare operations, Ko Laurance added.
On June 16, the Chin Health Organization (CHO) announced that diarrheal diseases in Mindat and Paletwa townships have nearly reached epidemic levels, leading to 14 deaths.
If infected with the pathogen causing diarrhea, symptoms can manifest within 2 hours to 5 days. Without effective treatment, the mortality rate ranges from 30- 50 percent. However, with prompt and appropriate treatment, the risk of death decreases to just 1 percent.
CHO recommends avoiding street food and leftovers, ensuring food is covered to prevent flies from touching it, exclusively breastfeeding infants, using fly-proof toilets, and washing hands with soap after using the toilet and before handling food. It also advised seeking medical help if diarrhea symptoms arise and drinking plenty of oral rehydration salt solution.
The most important precaution is to drink only boiled water. If oral rehydration salt solution is not easily accessible, CHO recommends drinking a solution made by dissolving 6 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt in one liter of pre-boiled and cooled water.
Diarrhea patients often experience severe symptoms such as dysentery, vomiting, cramps, and exhaustion.
