Mizoram has sealed its border with Myanmar and imposed containment measures in four villages after a gastroenteritis outbreak in the state’s southern districts claimed nine lives, prompting an urgent multi-agency public health response.
Officials of the State Health Department said the situation was most severe in Lawngtlai district, where six deaths have been reported from Kakichhuah village alone. Lawngtlai deputy commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga confirmed that the toll rose after another fatality was recorded on Friday night. Nearly 30 residents in the village have shown symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever.
Preliminary findings indicate that the outbreak may have been triggered by cross-border movement from Myanmar. “Both Kakichhuah and Hruitezawl, the latter being the primary entry point for people from Myanmar, have now been declared containment areas,” Lalruatsanga said. Officials noted that residents of Salachhuah village in Myanmar’s southern Chin State had recently entered Kakichhuah.
A health team led by the senior chief medical officer, assisted by personnel from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Doctors Without Borders, is currently monitoring the ground situation. Samples collected from affected individuals and from village water sources have been sent to Zoram Medical College and Hospital (ZMC&H) at Falkawn. Laboratory results are awaited.
Also read: 121 people died of tuberculosis in Mizoram since January
Senior CMO Dr Lalmuanawma Jongte said that three of the victims in Kakichhuah were refugees from Myanmar, while the remaining three were local residents. A Rapid Response Team has been deployed to provide treatment and contain transmission within the community.
Kakichhuah, a remote village of around 130 households located some 142 kilometres from Lawngtlai town, lies on Mizoram’s southernmost tip. The settlement is home to refugees from the Khumi community, originating from Myanmar’s Chin and Rakhine states. All the six victims reported from Kakichhuah belonged to this community.
In neighbouring Siaha district, three deaths have been reported from Lodaw village. Around 30 cases have been identified across Lodaw and Lomasu villages. Medical teams have been mobilised to both locations, and samples of water and stool have similarly been dispatched to ZMC&H for testing.
The outbreak has coincided with reports from across the border, where the health department of the United League of Arakan (ULA) and its armed wing, the Arakan Army (AA), have claimed that more than 300 people in Myanmar’s Shin Letwa and Paletwa districts are suffering from gastroenteritis-like symptoms. Around 30 individuals have reportedly been admitted to local facilities. These areas lie close to Mizoram’s southern border, and cross-border movement remains common despite heightened surveillance by Indian authorities.
With the outbreak showing signs of being linked to cross-border infections, district administrations in Lawngtlai and Siaha have sealed major entry points from Myanmar. Restrictions on movement in and out of affected villages remain in force, and the health department has urged residents to avoid unsafe water sources and report symptoms immediately.
Officials said further measures will be determined once laboratory results confirm the cause of the outbreak, though contamination of local water sources remains the most likely trigger.
Follow us
