Child health in Myanmar in 2012 - what is the way forward?

There is little published information about child health in Myanmar. We conducted a baseline study of child health status for a representative population of 13 townships in central Myanmar in 2012 at the start of a five year project. Methods: A cohort of 557 married women aged 15-45 who had children under two were sampled from a population of 4,400 households. Mothers answered questions about their children under two following a quantitative questionnaire. Results: Only 50% of the children under six months of age had been exclusively breastfed (nothing other than breastmilk in the 24 hours prior to the survey), with most parents introducing water or sugar water and or rice during the first six months. However, 95% of children were still breastfed at 12 months. Only 5.8% of children less than 24 months had received all of the required immunizations for their age. Rates of diarrhea, ARI and fever were too low in this population at the time of this survey for useful analysis. While there was high ownership of regular (not insecticide treated nets) in this population, usage was very low. Discussion: Myanmar is opening to international aid after more than thirty years in seclusion. Immunization and health education programs are a priority for this population and should be at the top of the donor priority list for support in this largely underserved population.