Diarrhea outbreak kills 11 children in Rakhine State capital as floods and restrictions paralyze healthcare

At least 11 children have died and more than 200 people have fallen ill during a rapid outbreak of acute severe diarrhea across Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and rural communities in Arakan State’s capital of Sittwe since Aug. 13.

The health crisis is impacting ethnic Arakanese, Rohingya, and other Muslim communities across northern Arakan.

Regime travel restrictions continue to block displaced residents from reaching municipal hospitals, forcing patients to rely on overcrowded camp clinics that lack basic medications, medical personnel, and emergency care equipment.