Myanmar Situation Report #3: UNFPA Prioritizes Urgent Health and Protection Support in Myanmar

Highlights

● Over 10 million women and girls were already in need of humanitarian assistance due to conflict and economic instability before the earthquake struck on March 28, 2025. Their vulnerabilities have since deepened.

● Among the more than 4.6 million women of reproductive age in the affected areas, an estimated 223,000 pregnant women are at heightened risk, many now cut off from life-saving maternal care and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.

● Urgent needs include access to antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, safe deliveries, and essential SRH medicines and supplies.

● Women and girls face elevated risks of gender-based violence (GBV) in overcrowded and insecure displacement sites with limited lighting, privacy and protection mechanisms.

● Extreme heat conditions are further increasing pregnancy complications, including dehydration, preterm labour, and heightened risk of infections—especially among those sheltering in the open.

Situation Overview

● On March 28, 2025, two consecutive earthquakes — measuring 7.7 and 6.4 in magnitude — struck central Myanmar with epicenters near Mandalay and Sagaing at a shallow depth of 10 km. Millions of women of reproductive age are in affected areas, including approximately 223,000 pregnant women, who now face life-threatening barriers to accessing maternal and newborn care.

● Nearly 70 health facilities have been damaged1, disrupted supply chains and constrained access have severely impacted SRH services, including antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, and emergency obstetric care.

● Displacement into makeshift and overcrowded shelters has sharply increased the risk of gender-based violence. These environments lack secure sanitation, privacy, and protection, particularly endangering adolescent girls and women with disabilities.

● The earthquake coincided with the hottest season of the year, further endangering pregnant women exposed to prolonged heat without adequate shelter, clean water, or nutrition. Health risks such as dehydration, preterm labour, and hypertensive complications are rising. Early signs of diarrhoeal disease and fears of cholera outbreaks add to the strain on already overwhelmed health systems.