By CJ/Kantarawaddy Times
In a IDPs camp located in eastern Dee Maw Hso Township, Karenni State, internally displaced persons (IDPs) have begun developing white patches on their skin due to poor water sanitation following the September 2024 flooding, according to affected individuals.
The skin condition has persisted since the flooding in September 2024, with cases still being reported as of January 2025.
“During the floods, it rained continuously. It could be due to the acid in the rainwater or a reaction to it, but many children have developed white patches on their skin. Poor water sanitation is also a factor. Some children experience itching, so we provided medication for skin irritation. Some have improved with topical treatments, but others have not. The condition is more common among children under five,” said Daw Nan Thwe Kham, a healthcare worker in the IDP camp.
Health officials believe that contamination from destroyed latrines, chicken farms, and pigsties during the flooding may be responsible for the skin condition. Residents of the IDP camp near Pon Chaung rely entirely on the river as their primary water source. The condition is predominantly affecting children under five, who are then passing it on to their parents, according to one mother at the camp.
“I believe the water became contaminated after the flooding. My child developed white patches on her face and hands. Even after applying medication, it hasn’t improved, so I decided to leave it as it is. It has been over three months now. After my child developed it, I also started noticing patches on my hands,” said Ma Ree Mine, a mother at the camp.
The symptoms resemble a fungal skin infection, but affected victim report that they do not experience severe itching, a common characteristic of such infections. In some cases, the condition has spread across the entire body, while in others, it is primarily affecting the hands and face. Some children have developed large white patches covering their entire facial area.
The September 2024 floods submerged and destroyed 1,956 homes in Karenni State and along the Shan-Karenni border. Pon Chaung IDP camp, located in eastern Dee Maw Hso Township, comprises seven displacement sites with a total of 697 households. The IDP camp where the skin condition has been reported currently shelters more than 500 people.
