Naga tribeswomen and children gather in the
grounds of Lahal Township in Sagaing Region, December 2014. (Phyo Hein Kyaw /
AFP)
The
deaths of more than 40 people, most of them children, from a measles outbreak
in a remote, mountainous area of northwestern Sagaing Region was partly because
of a slow response from the local authorities, a Naga community group said.
“The
government blames communication and transportation [problems], but another
problem is the slow response by the local government that has made the
situation worse,” Naw Aung Sann, the general secretary of the Council of Naga
Affairs, told Frontier on August 8.
His comment
came as a spokesperson for the World Health Organization told Frontier that
tests at a Yangon laboratory on August 5 had confirmed measles as the cause of
the outbreak. Most of the fatalities are reported to have been children aged
under five.
The WHO
spokesperson said a rapid response and investigation team from the Ministry of
Health and Sports, supported by WHO regional surveillance officers, was in the
area supervising investigation, treatment and control measures.
The areas
worst affected by the outbreak are the isolated townships of Lahe and Nanyun,
in the Naga Self-Administered Zone adjoining the border with India, one of
least inaccessible areas of Myanmar, where poor road conditions are made worse
by monsoon weather.
The death
toll from the outbreak stood at 41, of whom 21 were females, the Council of
Naga Affairs said on August 8.
Dr Than
Htun Aung, deputy director general of the Department of Public Health, told
Frontier on August 8 that the outbreak had mainly been confined to Htan Thaw Lama,
a village about 64 kilometres (40 miles) from Lahe.
“We were
delayed in receiving the information”, Than Htun Aung said when asked about the
response to the outbreak.
“The
first case was reported on June 6, but we did not hear anything until July 28.
This is for many reasons; because of very bad weather in the area, a lack of
manpower and many people in these villages do not have access to cell phones,”
he said.
A measles
vaccination program was conducted in Lahe Township in January 2015, Than Htun
Aung said.
“The
reported coverage was 94 percent but I don’t think that can be correct. If that
figure was correct, then we would not have the outbreak that we are having
now,” he said.
A
statement issued by the Council of Naga Affairs on August 6 said health
concerns had begun rising in mid-June when a 10-year-old girl in Lahe Township
died of a “strange disease”.
The
government’s slow response had exacerbated the situation, said Aung Sann, who
acknowledged that poor communications was a factor.
Phone
coverage was available only in Lahe and other villages were unable to
communicate with the authorities, he said, adding that another contributing
factor was a lack of healthcare facilities in the region.
Aung Sann
rejected claims by the government that the situation was under control.
“The
government says that the situation is under control but this morning [August 8]
we found out that two more girls have died, so I don’t agree that the situation
is under control,” he said.
The WHO
says measles is a leading cause of death among young children despite the
availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine. Young, malnourished children
are most vulnerable to the highly contagious disease.
Although
Myanmar has increased health spending in recent years, it still has one of the
lowest health budgets in Southeast Asia, and access to healthcare is limited in
many parts of the country, particularly remote areas.
Oliver
Slow
