Wikipedia

Draft:2023 monkeypox outbreak in Myanmar

  • Comment: Lacks substantial change since the last decline version. Please address the concerns brought up by the previous reviewer before submitting again. Tutwakhamoe (talk) 19:44, 8 July 2023 (UTC)
  • Comment: WP:UNDUE on the political unrest section. Contains too much details that are not relevant to the purported outbreak. Censorship section describes the general censorship regime, but nothing specifically with relation to the outbreak. Also, the pertinent information to the outbreak are either unsourced, misuse of sources, or of statements that cannot be verified against the cited sources. – robertsky (talk) 05:07, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
2023 monkeypox outbreak in Myanmar
DiseaseHuman monkeypox
Virus strainMonkeypox virus (MPV), clade II,[1] 2017–2019 outbreak subclade[2]
LocationMyanmar
DateJanuary 28, 2023 – ongoing (1 year, 3 months, and 9 days)
Deaths
455

The 2023 monkeypox outbreak in Myanmar is an ongoing monkeypox epidemic in several rural villages in Rakhine state. The 2021 coup and resulting sanctions[3] further exacerbated the response to the health crisis.[4] The military junta has criminalised the publishing, distribution or dissemination of any details regarding the outbreak. Journalists reporting on the death toll have been arrested and face criminal sanctions.[5] Any attempt to intervene in the two-year political crisis has been vetoed by Russia at the UN Security Council.[6]

Background edit

The Pathogen edit

The Political Unrest edit

A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw — Myanmar's military — which then vested power in a military junta. Acting President of Myanmar Myint Swe proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been transferred to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. It declared the results of the November 2020 general election invalid and stated its intent to hold a new election at the end of the state of emergency.[7][8] The coup d'état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was to swear in the members elected in the 2020 election, thereby preventing this from occurring.[9][10][11] President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained, along with ministers, their deputies, and members of Parliament.[12][13]

On 1 February 2021, Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi were arrested on charges that independent analysts regarded as part of an attempt to legitimize the military's seizure of power.[14][15] Both were remanded in custody for two weeks.[16][17][18] Between 16 February and 1 April, five additional charges were leveled against Aung San Suu Kyi.[19][20][21]

Armed insurgencies by the People's Defence Force of the National Unity Government erupted throughout Myanmar in response to the military government's crackdown on anti-coup protests.[22]

 
  Myanmar
  Condemns the coup
  Expressions of concern
  Neutral position
  No public position
 
3,000 protesters asking for Aung San Suu Kyi's release in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, Japan.[23]

Many countries, including Bangladesh,[24] China,[25] India,[26] Indonesia,[27] Japan,[28] Malaysia,[29] Pakistan,[30] the Philippines,[31] South Korea,[32] and Singapore,[33] encouraged dialogue between the government and the military in order to resolve the issue, many of which expressed concern in response to the coup. Australia,[34][35] Canada,[36] France,[37] Germany,[38] Italy,[39] Japan,[40][41] Nepal,[42] New Zealand,[43] South Korea,[44] Spain,[45] Sweden,[46] Turkey,[47] the United Kingdom,[48] and the United States[49] condemned the coup and called for the release of detained officials; the White House also threatened to impose sanctions on coup perpetrators.[50][51][52] Subsequently, President Biden approved an Executive Order for new sanctions on the coup perpetrators which would enable his administration to affect the perpetrator's business interests and close family members."[53] President Biden also stated that he would freeze $1 billion US assets belonged to the Myanmar's government while maintaining support for health care, civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly."[54]

Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam explicitly refused to support either side, characterising the coup as an internal matter.[55][56][57] On 9 February 2021, New Zealand suspended diplomatic contact with Myanmar and prohibited government military leaders from entering New Zealand because of the coup.[58] On 25 February 2021, Tokyo considered halting projects in Myanmar in response to the coup.[59]

On 24 February, the new Myanmar foreign minister visited Thailand, marking the first high official visit since the coup.[60] Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Indonesian President Joko Widodo called a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers to discuss the issue during Muhyiddin's visit to Jakarta.[61] In March, reports appeared in the Thai press accusing the Thai military of supplying rice to the Myanmar military, which it denied.[62]

On 26 February 2021, the South Korean National Assembly passed a resolution condemning the coup.[63] On 5 March 2021, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato urged the SAC-led government to stop using lethal force to disperse protests.[64] Singaporean foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan also called the military to stop using lethal force.[65]

South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on 12 March 2021 that South Korea will suspend defense exchanges with Myanmar and ban arms exports, and would limit exports of other strategic items, reconsider development aid and grant humanitarian exemptions for Myanmar nationals to allow them to stay in South Korea until the situation improves.[66]

On 27 March 2021, eight countries sent representatives to attend the Myanmar Armed Forces Day parade.[67]

The Outbreak edit

On January 28, 2023, the first recorded death due to monkeypox took place in the village of Minbya, Rakhine State. The second death followed 12 hours later. Both victims were male, in their late twenties and were married men. The $1 billion US assets that the US government froze[68] in 2021 were primarily part of the health care budget. While the military continued importing arms from abroad[69], the health care sector suffered a compounding crisis[70] from lack of vaccines and a quickly deteriorating economic state.

The U.S. let 20 million doses of Monkeypox vaccine expire[71] in storage in Denmark. Had the Danish authorities donated the vaccines just before their expiration, the deaths caused due to the monkeypox virus would have been substantially lower. This is especially significant considering the fact that the monkeypox virus originated in Copenhagen in 1958[72] and then quickly spread to other developing countries.

The number of monkeypox deaths quickly skyrocketed from January 28, 2023 to an estimated 455 to date. Most of the victims were from Rohingya families dwelling in poor living conditions. The local villagers believe that the outbreak is a deliberate attempt by the military junta to suppress protests in the region and to deviate attention from the current political crisis in the country. The fact that the outbreak is specifically confined to Rakhine state where the Rohingya people live is one reason why many Rohingya believe that the outbreak is an extension of the ongoing Rohingya genocide.

Censorship edit

The military junta has had a history of censorship of information leaving the country.[73] The most recent example was following the 2021 coup when the junta arrested 9,984 protestors and journalists in an attempt to crack down on dissent.[74]

Section 'Activities on social media and internet blackout' not found

Just like with the coup, the junta has severely restricted all reports[75] on the monkeypox outbreak. Foreign journalists are not allowed inside the country for the duration of the 'emergency' state that was first declared in 2021. Those who do report on the outbreak, risk incarceration or being tortured to death.[76]

Notes edit

References edit

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