Local sources report at least 12 deaths among Rohingya children, while limited medicines, movement restrictions and shortages of medical staff are complicating access to treatment.
by Hafizur Rahman
- Local sources report at least 12 deaths among Rohingya children, while limited medicines, movement restrictions and shortages of medical staff are complicating access to treatment.
- Limited Treatment at Thet Kel Pyin
- Movement Restrictions Complicate Access
- Calls for More Medicine, Doctors and Clean Water
Sittwe, Arakan State, 22 August 2026: A serious outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea is spreading across Sittwe Township, with Rohingya communities and internally displaced families reporting child deaths and growing difficulties accessing medical treatment.
Local sources told Rohingya Khobor that 12 Rohingya children have died in recent days, including 11 children from displacement camps and one from Zaw Bu Ja village.
Rohingya Khobor has not independently verified the reported death toll.
Other local media have separately reported a rapidly worsening diarrhoea outbreak in Sittwe. Development Media Group reported at least four child deaths on August 18, while DVB reported on August 20 that at least 11 children had died and more than 200 people had fallen ill since the outbreak intensified around August 13.
The disease has reportedly spread through displacement camps, Rohingya and other Muslim villages, and parts of Sittwe town.
A Rohingya resident told Rohingya Khobor that families were increasingly worried because children suffering severe diarrhoea could deteriorate rapidly while access to treatment remained limited.
“Children become weak very quickly when they have severe diarrhoea,” the resident said. “Families are worried because medical treatment is limited.”
Limited Treatment at Thet Kel Pyin
Thet Kel Pyin health facility is among the main facilities treating patients from Rohingya and displaced communities in the area.
Local sources said patients are receiving oral rehydration salts and intravenous fluids, including Ringer’s Lactate, but that stocks of other medicines remain limited.
Residents told Rohingya Khobor that some medical supplies had been provided with humanitarian support, including assistance linked to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Rohingya Khobor has not independently confirmed the current quantities of medicine available or the specific agencies responsible for each supply.
“The hospital is trying to treat the patients, but there are not enough medicines,” one Rohingya resident familiar with the situation said. “For many patients, ORS and fluids are the main treatment available.”
MERCY Malaysia has a longstanding role in supporting healthcare at Thet Kel Pyin and has previously operated health services for Rohingya and internally displaced communities in Sittwe.
Local sources said MERCY Malaysia doctors, nurses and volunteers are currently involved in treating patients at the facility.
Residents said doctors are generally present during daytime hours but that medical coverage is much more limited at night.
“At night, when a patient becomes seriously ill, families become very afraid because there is no doctor in the hospital,” a Rohingya caregiver said.
Rohingya Khobor could not independently confirm current staffing schedules at the facility.
Movement Restrictions Complicate Access
Local residents also reported tighter movement restrictions in parts of Sittwe amid the outbreak.
Separate reporting from Sittwe has documented that existing restrictions imposed by Myanmar’s military junta have made it difficult for Rohingya and other displaced residents to reach hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Local sources told Rohingya Khobor that additional restrictions may have been introduced in response to the outbreak and that an isolation or quarantine facility could be established.
Rohingya Khobor has not seen an official health notification confirming those measures.
Any disease-control restrictions risk creating further difficulties if patients are unable to reach emergency healthcare or humanitarian agencies cannot deliver medicines, clean water and other essential supplies.
Calls for More Medicine, Doctors and Clean Water
Local sources said health personnel have been conducting awareness sessions in displacement camps and nearby villages, encouraging families to use safe drinking water, give oral rehydration fluids to people suffering diarrhoea and seek medical care quickly when signs of severe dehydration appear.
Residents said additional assistance is urgently needed.
“We need more medicines, doctors and clean water,” one Rohingya resident told Rohingya Khobor. “Awareness is important, but people also need treatment when they become sick.”
Overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, limited supplies of safe water and restricted access to healthcare have long left Rohingya displacement camps in Sittwe particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of diarrhoeal disease.
The current outbreak has renewed concern that those structural conditions, combined with restrictions on movement and shortages of medical resources, could lead to further preventable deaths if treatment and humanitarian access are not rapidly expanded.
