In Hpruso Township, Karenni (Kayah) State, basic medicines are running out and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are suffering from a mass outbreak of influenza, according to locals and health workers.
A local health official said IDPs, including children and the elderly, are coming down with flu in the eastern part of Hpruso.
“Right now they have a runny nose and cough. Like COVID, people get sick in groups. They mainly have a runny nose and cough. Malaria has also appeared now,” he said.
In the eastern part of Hpruso, the number of flu cases had increased from the end of October to the beginning of November, he said.
Influenza cases have also occurred in the Sein Taung Tan and Shi Lu Mu IDP camps, which house villagers from the western part of Hpruso, according to IDPs.
More than 1,100 people live in these two camps and most of them are suffering from the disease, especially school-age children and children under five years old, said a displaced woman.
“The child fell ill for one or two days, then got better, went back to school and fell ill again. One child fell ill two or three times. In the last stage, they had a sore throat and lost their voice. It was terrible for the children,” she explained.
Since the current illness in eastern Hpurso is not a normal flu, the health officials and nurses have advised residents not to take combination medicines and other medcines without instructions, the woman added.
“They have advised us to come to the hospital immediately if a child falls sick and take the medicines given by the hospital,” she said.
Due to the mass outbreak, even basic medicines are running out even for children, said the health official from western Hpruso.
“Especially during the time of the mass outbreak, we even ran out of basic medicines like paracetamol and cevit. Children need these medicines. If they can’t swallow tablets, it is better to give them syrups. Syrups are the better choice if we want to give them the exact dose. It also depends on the situation on the ground. If we don’t have the necessary medical supplies, it will also affect our treatment,” the health official explained.
He added that the military council has blocked the transportation of food and medicine to the Hpruso, causing shortages of medicine and difficulties in medical treatment.
IDPs reported that schools in western Hpruso have been closed since the beginning of October due to the mass outbreak of influenza.
Pharmacies are also currently running low on supplies and even basic medicines such as paracetamol are difficult to find, according to IDPs and locals.
According to locals, a 24-year-old man died in West Hpruso at the end of October after suffering from the flu for a week.
Sent by NMG.