The United Nations warned Tuesday that worsening economic conditions and rising rates of disease in Myanmar could eventually lead to a "humanitarian crisis" in the impoverished country.
"There is increasing poverty and people are having a harder time surviving," Charles Petrie, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Myanmar, told The Associated Press.

Myanmar has always been one of the poorest countries in Asia, but its situation has become more precarious in recent months with the ruling junta's decision to increase fuel prices nine-fold. It has led to price increases for most consumer goods and many Myanmar people _ whose monthly salaries amount to little more than a few dollars _ say they barely have enough to eat.

"What we are seeing is a greater inability for families and communities to survive shock, whether it's natural shock such as tsunamis or economic shocks," he said. "It is not a humanitarian crisis today but that doesn't mean it won't become one in the future."

With little money for health care, the country has also become a hot spot for a range of infectious diseases, Petrie said. A majority of the malaria cases in Asia come from Myanmar, and cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis are on the rise, while more than a third of sex workers and intravenous drug-users are believed to be infected with HIV.

"What we're hearing is an evolution of trends that we're already seeing in Africa," Petrie said. "It could all of a sudden explode. We're looking at three very serious diseases."

Petrie said the government must take some of the blame, because the ruling military regime hasn't grasped the seriousness of the situation.

But he also pointed a finger at the international community, criticizing a move earlier this year to terminate assistance from a key fund set up to fight malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

The Geneva-based Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in August announced it cut all its funding to Myanmar because of government travel restrictions on aid workers. It has since said it would phase out the program in six months.

"The termination of the global fund is so worrying," Petrie said. "Abruptly, this was terminated. If we are not able to come up with an alternative, people are going to die as a result."

Some have suggested Global Fund severed aid because of political pressure from the junta's critics, who most notably include Washington, which shuns the military regime for its poor human rights record and failure to hand over power to a democratically elected government.

Global Fund had promised to spend more than US$98 million (€80.4 million) over the next five years to fight tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS in Myanmar, and so far disbursed US$11.9 million.

Of the total, US$54 million (€44.3 million) was allocated for the fight against HIV/AIDS, US$27 million (€22.2 million) for malaria and US$17 million (€14.0 million) for tuberculosis

Source: inq7