Myanmar
Country Overview
In Myanmar, an estimated 32.7% of the population of about 48 million lives below the poverty line. The country’s lack of infrastructure contributes to the spread of disease by inhibiting access to adequate health care, particularly among rural populations. Among the NTDs that threaten the people of Myanmar are dengue fever and lymphatic filariasis (LF), which is highly endemic throughout the country.
In 2002-2003, a countrywide survey conducted by the Ministry of Health found that 70% of children tested were infected with at least one of three soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). Data also indicated that 44.5% of pregnant women were infected with STH(s).
Current Effort
As a consequence of the national survey, efforts to control the public health burden of STHs began with support from the pharmaceutical industry and the WHO, with strong backing from the national government and organizations such as the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis.
In 2006, NTD control efforts, conducted in conjunction with Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and with support from pharmaceutical donors such as GSK, treated approximately 11.8 million people at very low cost. In 2007, a donation from actress and Global Network ambassador Alyssa Milano funded the purchase of 12 million tablets of DEC to treat 4 million individuals for LF. This donation in turn inspired a matching grant that provided treatment for an additional 4 million people.
Remaining Gap
These donations have made the goal of controlling LF a possibility. However, DEC is not donated, and Myanmar will need additional funding of more than US $3 million in order to scale up to countrywide LF drug administration. For more information on supporting Myanmar’s effort to control NTDs, please click here.
