At least 69 children infected with diarrhoea have been admitted to the Hakha General Hospital this month alone, according to the hospital on 14 March.

A hospital staff member said that they were receiving an increasing number of children having gastroenteritis mostly caused by a virus called “Rotavirus”.

Three children under the age of one died from the infection in Surngen village, Thantlang Township, last week, and the deaths of two children were recorded in Hakha in February and March this year, according to the State Health Department.

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The infection spreads easily mainly because of lack of public awareness and health education on the issue, and patients’ conditions can get worse because of no medical facilities or equipment as well as a lack of skills in villages, thus leading to death, the department said.

Inadequate availability of water has also been ascribed to as one of the factors that have caused the disease.

This article was originally published in Chinland Guardian on 16 March 2015.