Myanmar's minister revealed a cholera outbreak in Yangon city, resulting in more than 500 patients being admitted to hospitals.
On Monday, 17 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Bo Htay, Minister of Social Affairs for the region, stated that since 9 August, a total of 500 people have been hospitalized due to severe diarrhea, with nearly 150 testing positive for cholera.
Bo Htay's statement marks the first official confirmation of the cholera outbreak after over a week of patients continuously being admitted with diarrhea symptoms.
Bo Htay told the Yangon regional council, which covers the country's largest city, that rapid cholera tests showed 149 positive cases, and among these, nine were officially confirmed by the National Public Health Laboratory as infected with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
Cholera is a severe infectious disease of the digestive tract caused by consuming contaminated food or water, and it can be fatal within hours if untreated.
The World Health Organization describes cholera as a "global public health threat and reflects social and economic inequalities and lack of development," while Myanmar's infrastructure and health systems remain in poor condition after five years of civil war.
The minister added that on Thursday, 13 August, over 100 new patients were admitted to hospitals, although the number of new cases has since started to decline.
A 92-year-old patient died after hospitalization with diarrhea, but the government-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported on Sunday, citing officials, that the man died from chronic heart and lung conditions, without confirmation he had cholera.
Source:cna