DistantNews
🇧🇩 Bangladesh /Health & Science

Measles Outbreak: Mro families in Alikadam turn to herbal remedies amid poor access to treatment

From Daily Star · (5m ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Mro families in remote hill settlements of Bandarban's Alikadam upazila are using herbal remedies to treat children with measles-like symptoms due to poor access to healthcare.
  • At least five children have died and scores infected across several villages, with limited access to medical facilities and high travel costs hindering treatment.
  • Local residents rely on traditional practices passed down through generations, as health workers rarely visit these isolated areas.

The Daily Star sheds light on a critical public health crisis unfolding in the remote hill settlements of Alikadam upazila, Bandarban, where Mro families are resorting to traditional herbal remedies for children suffering from measles-like symptoms. The article paints a grim picture of healthcare inaccessibility, with at least five children succumbing to the illness and scores more infected across 10 to 15 villages.

My daughter has been sick for seven days with high fever and rashes all over her body. She cannot eat anything.

— Nganrao MroA mother described her daughter's severe symptoms.

The core of the problem lies in the extreme difficulty these communities face in accessing formal healthcare. The journey to the nearest health complex in Alikadam involves arduous travel by foot, boat, and motorcycle, a trip that is not only time-consuming but also prohibitively expensive for many families. This lack of access forces them to rely on ancestral knowledge, grinding wild vines and other plants into bitter concoctions in the hope of recovery.

In this rain, how can I take her walking down the hilly path, followed by a boat trip to Powa Muhuri Dari Para, and then by motorcycle to the upazila health complex miles away in Alikadam? It will also cost several thousand taka for the round trip. Where will we get that money?

— Nganrao MroA mother explained the insurmountable logistical and financial barriers to seeking hospital treatment.

Local elders, such as Chingtui Mro, confirm that these herbal treatments have been a generational practice for ailments resembling measles or smallpox. However, the article also points to systemic issues, including the infrequent visits of health workers to these remote areas and poor communication infrastructure. The Daily Star emphasizes that this situation is not merely a health issue but a reflection of broader developmental challenges faced by marginalized communities, where basic medical services remain a distant luxury, leaving them vulnerable to preventable diseases.

We grind different wild vines and other items, mix the extract with water, and feed it to the child. It tastes very bitter, so she does not want to take it.

— Nganrao MroA mother detailed the herbal remedy used for her sick daughter.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog