Some children living in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp are suffering from an itchy rash that’s spreading to other kids in the camp and the nearby village. Already 11 children have fallen ill in the Christ Of Church (COC) IDP camp in Tanai Township, Kachin State.
“For the past two weeks, many children have been infected with this skin disease, which causes red blemishes on the skin. No one has a job so we cannot afford medicine for the children here where everything is expensive,” a man in charge of the camp told KNG.
A woman living in the camp said: “It looks like chicken pox and it itches, but it’s not chicken pox.” So far, only children between 3 and 10 years old have been affected by the disease
Fighting between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army in 2018 forced 100 people from 30 families from Nam Byu and Tonne Mani villages to seek shelter in the camp. Prior to the outbreak, many donor groups have already stopped supporting the residents.
