More cyclone victims found infected with TB

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-07-02 21:32

YANGON -- More cyclone victims in Myanmar have been found infected with tuberculosis (TB) in the aftermath of the storm disaster that stroke the country early last May, the local weekly 7-Day News reported Wednesday quoting the TB Program of the Medical Association.

A total of 21,834 storm victims have been found carrying TB virus two months after the disaster following field trips to the storm-hit areas by over 500 experts with the medical association, the report said.

Diseases such as TB, malaria, dengue fever and diarrehoea easily hit people especially when they live in populated relief camps.

TB generally occured in Myanmar with 100,000 people found infected annually, according to medical experts.

TB is among the three major communicable diseases of national concern in Myanmar. The other two are HIV/AIDS and malaria.

The health authorities have called for efforts to combat the three diseases.

Meanwhile, international medical teams have joined in healthcare services for cyclone victims soon after the disaster.

Various domestic healthcare associations, international non- governmental organizations, private clinics and Myanmar traditional medicine practitioners have also made field trips to storm-hit areas and carried out treatment for survivors.

Meanwhile, state media reported earlier no outbreak of other contagious and epidemic diseases in the storm-hit areas, saying that a total of 206,039 storm patients had received medical treatment during a month after the cyclone storm hit the country.

Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructural damage. The storm has killed 84,537 people, leaving 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to the latest official death toll.