The disease was first noticed in April and many children continue to suffer. Most of them are from Thipcang, Ngailan, Leilet villages of Falam Townships and Tlangkhua, Tikhuangtum, Tahtlang, Thinghual villages of Thantlang Township.

Coincidentally in the same place hundreds of chickens have died following which the throat pain was noticed.

Now about 40 are ill and they are being given medicine as they cannot go to the hospital in town. To make matters worse transportation is a problem this rainy season, a local said.

The disease has also spread to the border areas of Matupi and Paletwa Townships. So far there have been no deaths from the disease, he added.

A member of the Chin Backpack team, Mr. Dawt Mang said "I think the disease is caused by infection from the air. Then there are such diseases like diarrhea, malaria and typhoid during the rainy season. It occurs with the change in seasons".

"We cannot go to the place where the disease is rampant and we feel sad about it. We don't have enough money to do the work," he added.

In Chin state the Chin Backpack health workers do as much as they can in the health sector.

The authorities have assigned nurses in every village of Chin state to help in community health care. But there is not enough medicine and the medicine prices are very high. Moreover patients cannot reach the hospital on time given the state of transport services and lack of money.

Locals are not getting medical attention from NGOs and cannot get treatment in the hospital in Tlangkhua village and Thantlang because they are poor people.

NGOs in Chin state, the Chin Backpack, UNDP, and UNICEF used to help in the health sector in the villages before, but there is no help from NGOs for this disease and the authorities are aloof.

The Merlin group (a new NGO based in London) will start to work for the people who need medical assistance in Burma, especially for these kinds of seasonal diseases. - KNG