By Kantarawaddy Times
The war in Karenni State, marked by transportation embargoes imposed by State Administration Council (SAC), has hindered children from receiving their vaccinations once again this year.
Khun Philip, the head of the health department under Karenni State Interim Executive Council, explained that SAC’s offensives, road blockades, and challenging transportation conditions during the wet season have made it impossible to deliver vaccines to the state’s numerous displaced camps.
“We had a plan to offer vaccines to all the displaced children under five,” he said, expressing that they have already secured these medicines but can’t transport them to the camps due to SAC troops blocking the highways. “To protect them from diseases, children need to receive vaccinations regularly,” as without them, they can suffer from polio and tetanus. Although volunteer health teams managed to inoculate some children, many in remote camps and villages still require their vaccines.
A female volunteer, requesting anonymity, mentioned that some people had to travel to SAC-controlled Lokaw to be vaccinated last year. However, with resistance groups currently attacking SAC in the capital town, it is not currently possible, especially when thousands of civilians are fleeing the fighting and SAC airstrikes.
According to Civil Health and Development Network, approximately 60,000 children in the state were not vaccinated in 2022.
