Burma: a country's health in crisis

Economic deterioration and a decade of military rule have had a disastrous impact on the health of women and children in Burma. In 1996, Burma's infant mortality rate was 105/1000 live births. The major causes of child mortality and morbidity are intestinal and respiratory infections, malaria, malnutrition, and vaccine-preventable diseases. Low birth weight, iodine and vitamin A deficiency diseases, and iron-deficiency anemia are widespread. Cholera outbreaks occur each year. The Universal Child Immunization Program, supported by UNICEF, reaches less than 60% of eligible children. The maternal mortality rate is 580/100,000 live births; most are related to unsafe abortion. Basic reproductive health care is available only in select areas of the country. 17-22% of women use modern contraception. UNAIDS has estimated that 440,000 Burmese are HIV-infected and there are 14,000 AIDS orphans. HIV prevalence is 26.5% in urban prostitutes, 91% among injecting drug users near the Chinese border, and 10.6% among pregnant women in one border town. Any improvement in the health status of the population requires a shift in priority on the part of the military government from weapons build-up to health promotion and protection.