AH1N1 virus confirmed in Mae La refugee camp
Posted on August 14, 2009
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Mae La: home to 50,000 refugees
Medical workers in Mae La refugee camp have confirmed the AH1N1 virus has been found in the camp, which houses around 50,000 mostly Karen refugees from Burma.
The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) is reporting the virus that has already claimed over 1400 lives worldwide has infected four children in the camp.
DVB quotes Saw Nay Hser, the chief of Mae La camp hospital run by Aide Medical International (AMI) as saying the first confirmed case was a three-year-old girl, on August 2nd.
“She was showing symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and a high body temperature but we didn’t think she was infected with the AH1N1 virus,” he said.
A further three cases have since been confirmed. All of the cases are close neighbours of the first girl.
The four infected patients are being treated at their homes. Their families have been told not to go outside, and neighbours told not to visit them.
With so many people living in close proximity to each other there are concerns that the virus could spread quickly through the camp.
Last month there was an outbreak of Dengue Fever in the camp.
To prevent the spread of the AH1N1 virus, camp authorities are distributing medicine and trying to educate people about the disease. They are also conducting further tests to find out exactly how many people have already been infected.
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