Measles outbreak killed 30 in Myanmar

YANGON: Myanmar health officials have confirmed that a measles outbreak is behind the deaths of more than 30 people, mostly children, in a remote part of the country as authorities rush to treat victims.

The outbreak has struck the far corner of Myanmar’s northern Sagaing region, a remote and mountainous area which borders eastern India and is populated by people from the Naga tribes.

The deaths began in June and highlight how vulnerable Myanmar’s more isolated populations are in a country where healthcare was never prioritised under decades of brutal and inept junta rule.