Yangon faces rise in acute diarrhea cases amid monsoon flooding

Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, is experiencing a significant rise in acute diarrhea cases amid severe monsoon flooding and ongoing civil conflict. State media reported that 182 patients were admitted to Yangon General Hospital with diarrhea over a four-day period, with 93 testing positive for pathogens. While official state reports did not explicitly confirm cholera, local lawmaker Aye Mya Thae Phyu reported that the positive cases were indeed cholera.

The military’s information team confirmed the death of a 92-year-old patient due to the disease. Health officials noted that cases are concentrated in the Chinatown area of downtown Yangon. Nanda Win, head of the Yangon Regional Department of Public Health, identified contaminated water and takeout food from street vendors as potential sources of the illness.

In response, authorities have requested that street food vendors selling high-risk items close for approximately three days to curb the spread. According to the World Health Organization, more than 2,200 people have been hospitalized with acute watery diarrhea in Yangon in 2024, resulting in 15 reported deaths.