Dengue hits refugee camp, 500 cases, five deaths

[alert]

http://democracyforburma.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/five-dead-over-500-suffer-from-flu-in-mae-la-camp/

Five dead over 500 suffer from flu in Mae La camp
July 13, 2010
tags: Human Rights, world focus on Burma, Junta, UN, Burma, Thailand, refugee, Myanmar, KIC, Five dead over 500 suffer from flu in Mae La campby peacerunning
.There have been five deaths from flu with the onset of monsoon among over 500 refugees suffering from fever in Mae La refugee camp 45 kilometers north of Maesod, Saw Nay Sang, a medical in-charge, said.

?Our medical report states there are over 500 patients. Among them, three elderly people and two children have died. In the last few days, six to seven people came to hospital. The patients are between one year old to elders?.

Saw Nay Sang said that even though awareness programmes about flu is being undertaken in the camp, the number of patients have gone up. Just sprinkling mosquito repellents in the camp is not enough because refugees need to be made aware, the medical in-charge said.

At the moment the health situation of patients is under control and they are being provided treatment in AMI hospital in Mae La camp.

Even though flu is increasing in Mae La camp, medics said there are fewer afflictions in Mae Tao clinic, Ohm Pham camp and Noe Poe refugee camp.

?At worst, we see one or two patients, suffering from flu, coming to hospital in a day. There were 22 patients in the hospital in the last two weeks. Now the number of patients is gradually decreasing,? medic Naw Say Lar Phaw said.

It is learnt that most people suffering from flu in Thai-Burma border towns are in Three Pagoda town, Myawaddy and Kawka Reik town.

 

[alert]

Re: DENGUE hits refugee camp, 500 cases, five deaths

Re: DENGUE hits refugee camp, 500 cases, five deaths

Not flu at all. Dengue. The original source was fairly sloppy.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/regiona...-spread-through-thai-border-refugee-camp.html

Dengue, cholera spread through Thai border refugee camp
Tuesday, 13 July 2010 00:52 Salai Tun .
New Delhi (Mizzima) – A massive dengue outbreak is spreading through Mae La refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border, and 500 refugees are receiving treatment for the mosquito-borne fever, according to staff at the camp yesterday.

The camp that is home to almost 40,000 refugees in Thailand’s Tak province is 35 miles (57 kilometres) from Mae Sot, the main gateway between the countries on the Moei River opposite Burma’s Myawaddy Township. Most of its residents are Karen.

“Last year, just about 15 people per month suffered dengue fever but prevention was not carried out systematically, so it has not been eradicated,” camp hospital manager Saw Nay San told Mizzima. “Early this year, the number of dengue cases increased and about 500 people are suffering from the fever.”

Two children and three adults at the camp had died from the fever this year. But, prevention systems remained ineffective, Saw Nay San said.

“We don’t have enough nurses, money or medicine. We don’t have enough mosquito repellent. During the monsoon, the mosquito population increases so every home needs to use mosquito-repellent spray. Bushes need to be pruned and we need to eliminate areas of standing water in the camp,” Saw Nay San added.

“I think the patients will recover after they have received medical treatment for about a week”, the hospital chief said.

Moreover, cholera, passed to humans through contaminated drinking water or food, had also been spreading through the camp from late May, and 302 residents had received treatment, a camp health department volunteer told Mizzima.

“Many people are suffering from the disease so we’ve got a heavy workload that is beyond our capacity,” the volunteer said.

The water system was unable to provide adequate supply for the recently increased number of refugees, so they have had to depend on their own wells for drinking water, which could be contaminated as toilets were infested with flies, the volunteer said.

“People are experiencing very low standards of living and also have difficulties in accessing clean foods … which is while the cholera is spreading,” the volunteer said.

According to the spokesman from the camp’s clinic, most of the patients suffering dengue fever or cholera were between 1 and 60 years old.

The camp is divided into zones A, B and C and there are five quarters in each. Most of the houses are thatched cottages. Mae La is the biggest refugee camp among the 10 camps managed by the NGO alliance called the Thailand Burma Border Consortium along the border. The other refugee camps are Tham Hin, Ba Don Yang, Nu Po, Umpiem Mai, Mae La Oon, Mae Ra Ma Luang, Ban Mae Surin, Ban Mai Nai Soi and Wieng Hang.

In Mae La camp, most of the refugees are Karen, who had since 1984 fled Burmese Army offensives, destruction of their villages, forced displacement and forced labour.

Around 4,000 Karen villagers escaped to Thailand in June last year when the regime stepped up its campaign against the Karen rebels.

The Karen National Union, the country’s biggest rebel group, has been fighting for independence in the hills of eastern Burma for the past 60 years in one of the world’s longest running insurgencies.


Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 July 2010 01:46 )

 

[alert]

Re: Dengue hits refugee camp, 500 cases, five deaths

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/apex/..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1040,83641

Archive Number 20100713.2344
Published Date 13-JUL-2010
Subject PRO/MBDS> Dengue - Thailand (05): Tak, RFI

DENGUE - THAILAND (05): TAK, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
****************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Tue 13 Jul 2010
Source: Mizzima News [edited]
<http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/4103-dengue-cholera-spread-through-thai-border-refugee-camp.html>


A massive dengue outbreak is spreading through Mae La refugee camp on
the Thai-Burma [Myanmar] border, and 500 refugees are receiving
treatment for the mosquito-borne fever, according to staff at the
camp yesterday [12 Jul 2010].

The camp that is home to almost 40 000 refugees in Thailand's Tak
province is 35 miles (57 kilometres) from Mae Sot, the main gateway
between the countries on the Moei River opposite Burma's [Myanmar's]
Myawaddy Township. Most of its residents are Karen [ethnic minority].

"Last year [2009], just about 15 people per month suffered dengue
fever but prevention was not carried out systematically, so it has
not been eradicated," camp hospital manager Saw Nay San told Mizzima.
"Early this year [2010], the number of dengue cases increased and
about 500 people are suffering from the fever."

A total of 2 children and 3 adults at the camp had died from the
fever this year [2010]. But, prevention systems remained ineffective,
Saw Nay San said.

"We don't have enough nurses, money or medicine. We don't have enough
mosquito repellent. During the monsoon, the mosquito population
increases so every home needs to use mosquito-repellent spray. Bushes
need to be pruned and we need to eliminate areas of standing water in
the camp," Saw Nay San added.

"I think the patients will recover after they have received medical
treatment for about a week," the hospital chief said.

According to the spokesman from the camp's clinic, most of the
patients suffering dengue fever were between one and 60 years old.

The camp is divided into zones A, B, and C and there are 5 quarters
in each. Most of the houses are thatched cottages. Mae La is the
biggest refugee camp among the 10 camps managed by the NGO alliance
called the Thailand-Burma [Myanmar] Border Consortium along the
border. The other refugee camps are Tham Hin, Ba Don Yang, Nu Po,
Umpiem Mai, Mae La Oon, Mae Ra Ma Luang, Ban Mae Surin, Ban Mai Nai
Soi, and Wieng Hang.

In Mae La camp, most of the refugees are Karen.

[Byline: Salai Tun]

--
Communicated by:
PRO/MBDS
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org>

[According to the newswire above, there have been 500 cases of dengue
infection among refugees in Mae La Camp. Their ages ranged from one
to 60 years. A total of 5 fatalities -- 2 children and 3 adults --
have been reported in 2010. Mae La Camp is located near the
Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sot district, Tak province. The camp is
about an hour's drive north of Mae Sot. About 40 000 refugees lived
in Mae La camp in 2009.

A summary of the dengue infection situation in Thailand during the
1st 6 months of 2010 is available from PRO/MBDS posting Dengue -
Thailand (04) 20100629.2174. The total numbers of dengue infection
cases and deaths were 26 185 and 30; 12 026 cases of dengue fever
(DF), 13 676 cases and 12 deaths of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF),
483 cases and 18 deaths of dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

According to the Thai Ministry of Public Health, Bureau of
Epidemiology (BOE)'s report of reported cases and deaths of suspected
dengue infection since January 2010 until week 27 (4 Jul 2010 to 10
Jul 2010), available at <http://epid.moph.go.th/>, a total of 36 087
cases and 36 deaths were reported nationwide. The attack rate was
56.81 per 100 000 population. Case fatality rate was 0.10 percent. In
Tak province, there were 701 cases and 4 deaths of dengue infection.
The attack rate was 134.90 per 100 000 population and the case
fatality rate was 0.57 percent.

PRO/MBDS would appreciate receiving more information from reliable
sources about the situation and outbreak investigation.

For maps showing Thailand's provinces, see
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_Thailand> and regions, see
<http://thailandforvisitors.com/general/regions.html>. For the
interactive HealthMap/ProMED-mail map of Thailand with links to other
recent ProMED-mail and PRO/MBDS postings, see
<http://healthmap.org/r/01Gx>. - Mod.SCM]