Diarrhea has claimed the lives of seven people, including six children, at the Ah Nauk Ye Muslim internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Pauktaw Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State.
Camp officials reported that the fatalities occurred in stages: four children died on September 4, two children on September 8, and an adult woman on September 17. The outbreak initially affected children, with the first cases emerging on September 3.
“Living conditions in the IDP camp, characterized by high temperatures and poor water quality, are problematic,” said a camp official. “Diarrhea began with the children and is now spreading to adults,” he added.
Currently, more than 250 individuals in the camp are suffering from diarrhea, facing difficulties in accessing adequate medical care. While Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, previously provided health services, the organization is currently unable to offer comprehensive care.
“An MSF team is providing health care, but it’s currently inconvenient for them to deliver medical care directly. Their on-the-ground volunteers also face problems with a shortage of medicine. Despite these challenges, they are offering education on disease management and proper water use,” the official explained.
Residents are deeply concerned about the potential for further casualties due to the outbreak.
The Ah Nauk Ye Muslim IDP camp houses 2,391 males and 3,407 females, totaling 5,798 displaced persons spread across 1,197 households.
In April, a similar diarrhea outbreak in Sittwe Township camps resulted in approximately 80 deaths among Muslim IDPs.
