MYANMAR

The MENTOR Initiative’s Response

The MENTOR Initiative began its Cyclone Nargis response in Myanmar in late May 2008. Working relationships were developed with key players in the health field ensuring the possibility to rapidly scale up MENTOR's support to partners working on malaria and dengue control in the affected areas. The support offered by MENTOR has focused on 3 main sectors:

• training and capacity building of health staff on malaria and dengue case management and prevention;
• material donations and technical assistance in malaria and dengue control interventions;
• development and production of health education materials;

While Myanmar suffers from higher levels of morbidity and mortality from malaria than any other Southeast Asian nation, despite the high risk of malaria outbreaks following large scale flooding and suitable vectoral conditions post Nargis, the low level of transmission before the cyclone, as well as large scale malaria control efforts rolled out after May 2008, helped keep the number of cases in the Ayeyarwady Delta relatively low.

Yangon and Ayeyarwady Division together with Mon State have reported the highest number of Dengue cases nationally over the last years. The normal epidemiology of dengue in Myanmar exhibits an irregular cyclical pattern with peaks every 2-3 years, and the last one was registered in 2007. Conditions for dengue transmission following cyclone Nargis indicated a high risk of epidemics in many parts of Yangon and Ayeyarwady Division affected by heavy flooding and damage to buildings.

On 23 June 08, a large scale dengue prevention program, including the use of the larvicide Abate donated by BASF, was launched in Ayeyarwady and Yangon Divisions, in a coordinated effort involving the MoH, WHO, UNICEF, MENTOR and other NGOs. This emergency intervention was successfully implemented in many key at risk areas and no epidemics of dengue subsequently occurred. A repeat of this Dengue control programme at a larger scale involving 2000 community volunteers was established and rolled out amongst the most vulnerable communities in Yangon in the Dengue transmission season of 2009.