Women suffer poor health in Burma

Better health care is "desperately needed" in Burma after a study showed large numbers of women suffering from anaemia, malnutrition and malaria.

Research published in PLoS Medicine found discrepancies in infant mortality rates, with some investigators putting the figure as high as 91 per 1,000 live births in conflict zones.

Nine out of every ten women give birth at home with little access to medical care.

Burma has seen human rights violations perpetrated by a military junta, which renamed the country Myanmar – a name that has been accepted by some international organisations.

Food security was found to be under threat in certain areas, with one in five of almost 3,000 women surveyed showing evidence of malnutrition.

In addition, 61 per cent of women had iron-deficiency and 7.4 per cent had malaria.

Pregnant women that received the best treatment were those that were able to access facilities over the Thai border.

International support organisation Medecins Sans Frontiers was forced to reduce resources in the country earlier this year.

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