The occurrence of skin problems leading to itchiness among children has increased Mindat Township. A member of the volunteer-run Save Team reported that over 200 children have experienced pruritus in southern Chin State in the past month alone.
“Approximately sixty percent of the patients are affected by skin diseases, with seventy percent of them being children,” he informed Khonumthung News.
Save Team was established by healthcare volunteers to aid the displaced population in Mindat Township following the military coup in Burma.
The group provided medical assistance to 720 people in 13 villages in September, with more than 200 patients suffering from skin problems. In October, these issues comprised sixty percent of the reported conditions.
The volunteer mentioned that in the past two years, they launched a healthcare education campaign promoting personal hygiene, including maintaining clean houses and sanitary toilets to prevent illnesses.
“This year, we are struggling to control this disease. Parents here are primarily farmers who go to work on their farms and cannot keep their children at home. When children go to school, their parents are working, leaving the children susceptible to illness.”
Other health issues recorded by the team include high blood pressure or hypertension and diabetes among adults, as well as cases of seasonal flu.
However, the source highlighted the shortage of medicines in the Mindat area, stating that in some areas, there are health workers available, but they lack medicines and cannot provide medical services to those in need.
The blockage imposed by the ruling State Administration Council on medical supplies has caused the scarcity of essential resources in the township, where conflicts persist with Chin resistance groups.