Mandalay [Myanmar], April 10 (ANI): In the aftermath of Myanmar’s devastating earthquake, thousands of displaced families are now facing an escalating health crisis as the threat of dengue fever rises sharply across overcrowded and unsanitary displacement camps, according to an official press release by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO, in coordination with local health authorities, has launched an urgent prevention and control initiative in several of the country’s hardest-hit regions.
“We lost everything in the earthquake—then my daughter got sick with high fever,” said Daw Nandar, cradling her 8-year-old daughter beneath the plastic sheet they now call home in Mandalay.
“At first, we thought her fever was just from the stress and heat—after all we’d been through. But days passed, and it only got worse. We had no money for treatment, no clinic nearby, nowhere to turn. Luckily, the health workers arrived and tested her right away. Because of them, my daughter received all the care she needed. She is recovering faster now.”
Her story mirrors the plight of many families across Sagaing, Mandalay, and Nay Pyi Taw—regions that not only suffered significant structural damage but are now grappling with fragile shelter conditions, stagnant water, and increased mosquito exposure. These factors have created ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, significantly raising the risk of a dengue outbreak, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women.
To prevent a secondary health disaster, WHO is deploying 4,500 rapid diagnostic test kits to frontline responders and health workers in displacement sites and remote villages, ensuring early detection and treatment of dengue cases.
Additionally, 500 tent nets are being distributed to protect children and infants from mosquito bites. WHO is also using 6.2 tons of Temephos, a larvicide, in targeted high-risk areas to curb mosquito breeding.
“We cannot wait for dengue to become the next disaster,” said Elena Vuolo, Deputy Head of the WHO Country Office in Myanmar.
“This intervention is not just about vector control. It’s about protecting lives, preventing further suffering, and making sure recovery is built on resilience. If we don’t act now, a dengue outbreak will follow soon in these open-air living conditions. The most important part of this initiative is that we are targeting our support to those who would otherwise be left behind.”
This dengue prevention push is part of WHO’s broader emergency health response, which also includes treatment of earthquake-related injuries and the prevention of disease outbreaks in overcrowded camps. The looming monsoon season adds urgency to the effort, as it could drastically increase mosquito populations and disease transmission.
Poor sanitation, overcrowded shelters, and disrupted water supply systems have further contributed to mosquito proliferation. Many families are now forced to store water in open containers, increasing the risk of dengue. At the same time, the absence of reliable healthcare access in quake-affected zones makes early diagnosis and treatment of the disease challenging—raising the potential for a surge in severe cases.
“This is what building resilience means,” Vuolo added.
“We cannot wait for the next outbreak. We need to prevent it now and protect those most at risk—that’s how we lay the foundation for stronger, healthier communities after everything else has been lost.”
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, WHO launched a Flash Appeal for USD 8 million to fund life-saving trauma care, prevent infectious disease outbreaks, and restore basic health services across the affected regions over the next 30 days.
The agency continues to advocate for donor support, emphasizing that every contribution sustains operations in the hardest-hit areas.
With temporary camps still overflowing and essential infrastructure in ruins, WHO’s efforts underscore a vital message: public health cannot be an afterthought in crisis response. For families like Daw Nandar’s—living in uncertainty and clinging to recovery—proactive prevention may well be the difference between survival and collapse. (ANI)
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