Health and human rights in eastern Myanmar prior to political transition: a population-based assessment using multistaged household cluster sampling

Abstract

BackgroundMyanmar/Burma has received increased development and humanitarian assistance since the election in November 2010. Monitoring the impact of foreign assistance and economic development on health and human rights requires knowledge of pre-election conditions.MethodsFrom October 2008-January 2009, community-based organizations conducted household surveys using three-stage cluster sampling in Shan, Kayin, Bago, Kayah, Mon and Tanintharyi areas of Myanmar. Data was collected from 5,592 heads of household on household demographics, reproductive health, diarrhea, births, deaths, malaria, and acute malnutrition of children 6–59 months and women aged 15–49 years. A human rights focused survey module evaluated human rights violations (HRVs) experienced by household members during the previous year.ResultsEstimated infant and under-five rates were 77 (95% CI 56 to 98) and 139 (95% CI 107 to 171) deaths per 1,000 live births; and the crude mortality rate was 13 (95% CI 11 to 15) deaths per thousand persons. The leading respondent-reported cause of death was malaria, followed by acute respiratory infection and diarrhea, causing 21.2% (95% CI 16.5 to 25.8), 16.6% (95% CI 11.8 to 21.4), and 12.3% (95% CI 8.7 to 15.8), respectively. Over a third of households suffered at least one human rights violation in the preceding year (36.2%; 30.7 to 41.7). Household exposure to forced labor increased risk of death among infants (rate ratio (RR) = 2.2; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.4) and children under five (RR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.3 to 3.6). The proportion of children suffering from moderate to severe acute malnutrition was higher among households that were displaced (prevalence ratio (PR) = 3.3; 95% CI 1.9 to 5.6).ConclusionsPrior to the 2010 election, populations of eastern Myanmar experienced high rates of disease and death and high rates of HRVs. These population-based data provide a baseline that can be used to monitor national and international efforts to improve the health and human rights situation in the region.

Risk factors for undernutrition among children 0–59 months of age in Myanmar

“…Myanmar is a lower middle‐income country, with a gross national income per capita of $5,530 that demonstrates poor human development with a rank of 145 out of 188 countries in 2015 (United Nations Development Programme, ). Under a military regimen for six decades, the country underwent worsening of overall infrastructure, poor socio‐economic conditions, and a deterioration of public health and nutritional status (Davis, Mullany, Schissler, Albert, & Beyrer, ; Parmar et al, ). Currently, the country has one of the highest rates of stunting and underweight in children under 5 years old in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.…”

“…military regimen for six decades, the country underwent worsening of overall infrastructure, poor socio-economic conditions, and a deterioration of public health and nutritional status (Davis, Mullany, Schissler, Albert, & Beyrer, 2015;Parmar et al, 2014). Currently, the country has one of the highest rates of stunting and underweight in children under 5 years old in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.…”

Perceptions of Iranian Cancer Patients Regarding Respecting their Dignity in Hospital Settings

“…Dignity is a main part of human rights (Parmar et al, 2014) and preserving and enhancing patients' dignity is one the essential part of nursing care (Jacobson, 2007;Nasrabadi et al, 2011). The importance of patient dignity is also reflected in various nursing codes of ethics worldwide (International Council of Nurses, 2001;Sanjari et al, 2011).…”

Micronutrient deficiencies in early childhood can lower a country's GDP: The Myanmar example

“…It has received increased humanitarian assistance since the transformation to semi-civilian government after decades of military dictatorship [1]. The military consumes 40% of the national budget while only 2.2% is allocated to healthcare [2].…”

“…There is scarcity of public health data in Myanmar compared to neighboring countries such as Thailand or India. Myanmar ranked 218 th out of 224 countries in number of publications in medicine per capita [1]. It is predicted that Myanmar will not meet the Millennium Development Goal MDG 1c of halving child undernutrition in 2015 [3].…”