Population mobility and malaria contraction on either side if Bago Yoma in Bago Division

ABSTRACT

During August 1983 to February 1984, household surveys were carried out in four rural areas on either side of Bago Yoma in the Bago Division to describe the extent and patterns of population mobility by enquiring about their travelling history with night visits to the forestd foothill areas for the past one year. Those people residing close or very close to foothill travelled most (12 to 28 per cent) during the wet season while those residing some distance away spent their nights most (14 to 17) during the dry season. The closer the village to the foothill, the longer a forest traveller stayed in the forest, the range being 45-170 days per year in the foothill and 12-14 days per year in the plain villages. Of those forest travellers, there were a few percentage (5 to 20 per cent) of constant habitual traveller to the nearby forest. In addition, at least one member of 40 to 70 per cent of the households spent one night visit in the forest. The implications of the various migratory groups between the villages and the Bago Yoma were discussed in the context of malaria contraction, and control.