More cyclone victims in Myanmar found infected with TB
Pastor Dale Morgan
More cyclone victims in Myanmar found infected with TB*
2008-07-02
YANGON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- More cyclone victims in Myanmar have been
found infected with tuberculosis (TB) in the aftermath of the storm
disaster that stroke the country early last May, the local weekly 7-Day
News reported Wednesday quoting the TB Program of the Medical Association.
A total of 21,834 storm victims have been found carrying TB virus
two months after the disaster following field trips to the storm-hit
areas by over 500 experts with the medical association, the report said.
Diseases such as TB, malaria, dengue fever and diarrehoea easily hit
people especially when they live in populated relief camps.
TB generally occurred in Myanmar with 100,000 people found infected
annually, according to medical experts.
TB is among the three major communicable diseases of national
concern in Myanmar. The other two are HIV/AIDS and malaria.
The health authorities have called for efforts to combat the three
diseases.
Meanwhile, international medical teams have joined in healthcare
services for cyclone victims soon after the disaster.
Various domestic healthcare associations, international
non-governmental organizations, private clinics and Myanmar traditional
medicine practitioners have also made field trips to storm-hit areas and
carried out treatment for survivors.
Meanwhile, state media reported earlier no outbreak of other
contagious and epidemic diseases in the storm-hit areas, saying that a
total of 206,039 storm patients had received medical treatment during a
month after the cyclone storm hit the country.
Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of
Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago,Mon
and Kayin on May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the
heaviest casualties and massive infrastructural damage. The storm has
killed 84,537 people, leaving 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured
according to the latest official death toll.