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Kachin children sickened with unidentified illness in refugee camp

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Senior Moderator
What is this? It sure looks like dengue or chikungunya, but those don't spread person-to-person. It might be influenza, but then the mosquito report is wrong, and the rash is odd. Could it be HFMD? Could it be multiple illnesses from the above list?

I can't think of anything that is spread by mosquitoes, but also person-to-person.

http://www.kachinnews.com/news/2357-kachin-children-sick-with-flu-in-chinese-refugee-camp.html

Ten-children in Nakawng Kawng refugee camp in China have a flu believed to have originated from mosquito bites.

A school teacher at the camp said the children are getting sick after being bit by mosquitoes.

“Even some of the elders got sick with the flu. But it’s the young children who are mostly coming down with the flu after being bit by mosquitoes. After being bitten by infected mosquitoes red spots appear on the hands and legs. This will follow with coughing and a runny nose. The flu is contagious and easily passed to their family members. Therefore we have requested for any children who are sick not to attend classes,” said the school teacher.

The camp committee is trying to contain the flu in Nakawng Kawng by instructing the community to adhere to proper hygiene. They have instructed camp residents to use handkerchiefs when coughing, all drinking water should be boiled and anyone who becomes infected from mosquito bites to get proper medical treatment.

According to camp medic Hkawng Zawng children have been getting sick with the flu since early July.

Recently ten Kachin volunteers and several doctors led by Awng Mai, a physician from the Mandalay Hospital, came to assess the medical needs around the camps in the Nongdao (or Nawng Tau) area.

Camp committee member Nang Bawk said the doctors visited the camps as a result of the flu outbreak and increase in other illnesses due to the rainy season.

“They were 10 people in total, including two medical doctors and one dentist. They stayed in the camp for three-days to provide medical treatment. Some churches in Mandalay supported their trip,” said Nang Bawk.

Since the Burmese government broke a seventeen-year ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Organization over a year ago over 75,000 civilians have been displaced by the ongoing conflict. There are more than 10,000 IDPs living in camps in China.
 
Re: Kachin children sickened with unidentified illness in refugee camp

Diarrhea outbreak at Kachin IDP Camps
IN NEWS POST 07 AUGUST 2012 LAST UPDATED ON 07 AUGUST 2012 BY KNG
According to the Kachin Independence Organization?s Central Heath Department, a recent outbreak of diarrhea fueled by heavy rains and poor sanitation has severely affected many residents of internally displaced peoples (IDP) camps in KIO controlled territory.

Since July local health officials in the camps saw a surge in diarrhea and other related illnesses like dysentery, according to Slg. Hing Wang, general secretary of the KIO's Health Department.

?Because of unclean water many of the camps have diarrhea problems. Beginning in July some IDPs were sent to hospital for treatment?, Slg. Hing Wang said.
...
http://kachinnews.com/news/2374-diarrhea-outbreak-at-kachin-idp-camps.html
 
Re: Kachin children sickened with unidentified illness in refugee camp

Nice find, RoRo.

So we have coughing, rash, and diarrhea among the symptoms in the two reports. That's a pretty good indication that this is multiple known illnesses, and not one unknown one.
 
Re: Kachin children sickened with unidentified illness in refugee camp

http://www.promedmail.org/mbds

Published Date: 2012-08-07 23:07:34
Subject: PRO/MBDS> Diarrhea - Myanmar (06): Kachin, refugee camps. RFI
Archive Number: 20120807.1881

DIARRHEA - MYANMAR (06): KACHIN, REFUGEES CAMPS, 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 7 Aug 2012Source: Kachin News Group (KNG) [edited]http://kachinnews.com/news/2374-diarrhea-outbreak-at-kachin-idp-camps.html


Diarrhea outbreak at Kachin IDP camps
-------------------------------------
According to the Kachin Independence Organization's Central Heath
Department, a recent outbreak of diarrhea fueled by heavy rains and poor
sanitation has severely affected many residents of internally displaced
peoples (IDP) camps in KIO [Kachin Independence Organization] controlled
territory.

Since July [2012] local health officials in the camps saw a surge in
diarrhea and other related illnesses like dysentery, according to Slg.
Hing Wang, general secretary of the KIO's Health Department.

"Because of unclean water many of the camps have diarrhea problems.
Beginning in July [2012] some IDPs were sent to hospital for treatment."
Slg. Hing Wang said.

Overcrowding and poor access to clean water in the camps has made
matters worse and caused more diarrhea cases the since rainy season
began in May [2012]. While the diarrhea problems have affected children
and the elderly the most, according to camp resident people of all ages
have been succumbed to the illness.

While all the IDP camps have wells some have become dirty or unhygienic
due to the recent heavy rains. Many camp residents also rely on nearby
streams and rivers to get their water; this water is not clean either.

Although nurses from the KIO's Health Department have been on hand to
treat camp residents who suffer from diarrhea, it remains a major
problem. The KIO's Health Department is currently conducting workshops
for camp residents on to how prevent the spread of diarrhea.

After the conflict between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and
Burmese [Myanmar] troops many began in June of last year [2011] many
local people sought refuge in KIO controlled territory. There are
currently about 60 000 internally displaced people living in 53 camps in
the KIO's zone of control.

On [2 Aug 2012], a Rangoon-based [Yangon-based] NGO called Non-binding
Network, came and delivered medicine to IDP camps located in the Laiza
area. Non-binding Network is expected to follow up the Laiza visit with
similar medical visits to camps in the Mai Ja Yang area.

--
Communicated by:
PRO/MBDS


[The article above updates the situation of diarrhea outbreaks in
refugee camps in Kachin state of Myanmar, reported in previous PRO/MBDS
post (see Diarrhea - Myanmar (03): Kachin, refugee camps, RFI
20120705.1528). However, the article does not report the number of
affected people.

Contaminated drinking water is suspected as a source of infection.
Specific pathological agents have not been reported.

PRO/MBDS would appreciate any information from knowledgeable source on
the magnitude and causes of the diarrheal outbreaks in Kachin, Myanmar.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Myanmar can be seen at
http://healthmap.org/r/1Ayf. For a map of Myanmar with states, see
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/myanmar.pdf. - Mod.QCN]
 
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