By Kantarawaddy Times
Cold weather and a shortage of medicine have triggered a flu outbreak among young children in displaced camps in Pinlaung Township.
Among the 300 individuals seeking refuge at one camp in southern Shan State, 80 children are now suffering with the flu, according to a camp volunteer. “Most of the sick children are under 10 years old. Some lack warm clothing, exposing them to the cold and increasing susceptibility to the flu,” he told Kantarawaddy Times.
The flu induces chills, runny noses, sore throats, and coughs among the affected children, but medicine shortages persist across all camps in the township. Transportation challenges, attributed to junta soldiers at checkpoints who are confiscating medicine, hinder the delivery of these essential items. Children in these camps lack fundamental healthcare, with around 20,000 residents having fled ongoing conflict in Loikaw, Mobye, and Pekon towns.
In Pekon Township in southern Shan State and Loikaw, the capital of Karenni State, resistance groups are clashing with troops from the military regime, after the groups launched 1111 Operation on November 11.
