Burmese Multicultural Blog by

Health Belief and Cultural Medicine

35338436 — 2024-08-24 11:14:32 UTC

The Burmese believe that health is caused by supernatural factors such as spirit possession by an ancestor, spiritual factors including bad karma or non-observance of religious ethics, traditional belief such as culture-bound illness and is referred to as Koro which is the fear that the genitalia moves into the body and if done thoroughly, death will occur (Queensland, 2011). Amongst women, menstrual flow is considered critical to health, indicating excellent or poor physical and mental health. The Burmese use traditional plant-based medicine, which has become part of their heritage, treating Anemia, Arthritis, Eczema, Headaches, Diabetes, Common colds, Measles, Tuberculosis, and much more.

State of Queensland. (2011). Burmese Australians. Community Profiles for Health Care Providers - Burmese profile.

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/155835/burmese2011.pdf

Alison, K. (2024). In Myanmar, Health Care has become a battleground [Photograph]. Governance.

https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/myanmar-health-care-has-become-battleground

Clinical Expert Reflection

35338436 — 2024-08-24 11:15:00 UTC

Competency Standard 2 is for clinicians to understand and respond to the barriers to quality and safe care experienced by people from refugees (Migrant and Refugee, 2019. For me, useful learning happened when completing this assignment. I have improved my knowledge of barriers to quality and safe care. Having learned this, I now understand how difficult as a refugee it is to come to Australia and adapt. Initially, I thought most families came over together, but I now know not all families do. Equally, I feel that implementing interpreters, a culturally sensitive healthcare system, and mental health services are important.

Australian Library and Information Association. (2021, August 28). Reflective practice writing guide. Australian Library and Information Association.

https://moodleprod.murdoch.edu.au/pluginfile.php/4119641/mod_resource/content/1/reflective%20writing%20phrases.pdf

https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Myanmar

Social determents on Burmese refugees

35338436 — 2024-08-24 11:15:04 UTC

Around 1 in 5 refugees report that they feel lonely, 16% of males and 19% of females aged 35 and over in 2021 (Australian Government, 2024). Refugees from Myanmar to Australia are excluded from national programs for health promotion, disease prevention, as well as treatment (World Health Organisation, 2022). Refugees face high user fees, low levels of health literacy, poor cultural competency among health providers and inadequate interpreting services, making it harder for them to understand (World Health Organisation, 2022). To improve health outcomes for Burmese refugees, culturally sensitive healthcare services, such as interpreters, outreach programs in the Burmese communities, and mental health services for the Burmese refugees' needs were implemented (World Health Organisation, 2022).

World Health Organisation. (2022, May 2). Refugee and migrant health. World Health Organisation.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/refugee-and-migrant-health

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024, July 2). Social determinants of health. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/social-determinants-of-health

Common health issues

35338436 — 2024-08-24 11:15:07 UTC

Latent tuberculosis is a global disease that impacts low-income countries and vulnerable populations (Denholm, Bailes, Francis, n.d.). According to a study, 5.5/per 100,000 of the population is affected by Latent Tuberculosis per year; however, nearly 90% of cases occur in overseas-born Australians (Denholm, Bailes, Francis, n.d.). Symptoms of Latent Tuberculosis include constant coughing for over two weeks, shortness of breath, hemoptysis, chest pain, fevers, night sweats and dramatic weight loss (Ngugyen, n.d.). A study was conducted on Burmese refugees at an Australian teaching hospital, and 70% of the Burmese refugees had Latent Tuberculosis (Chaves, Gibney, Leder, O'Brien, Marshall, Biggs, n.d.). Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis includes three to four months of antibiotics to help fight and destroy the disease (Department of Health, 2022).

Justin, D. Marion, B. Josh, F. (n.d.) Tuberculosis (TB & LTBI). Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide.

https://refugeehealthguide.org.au/tuberculosis-tb/

Andrew D, N. (n.d.). Latent Tuberculosis. National Library of Medicine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK599527/

Nadia J, C. Katherine B, G. Karin, L. Daniel P, O. Caroline, M. Beverley-Ann, B. (n.d.) Screening Practices for Infectious Diseases among Burmese Refugees in Australia. National Library of Medicine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2857247/#:~:text=We%20performed%20a%20retrospective%20study,can%20prevent%20long%2Dterm%20illness.

Department of Health. (2022, October 26). Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis (TB) Infection is Isoniazid and Rifapentine (INH-RPT). Department of Health.

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/tb/basics/factsheets/inhrptltbi.html#:~:text=You%20can%20take%20medicine%20to,used%20together%20to%20treat%20LTBI.

Refugee Council of Australia. (2021). Key issues for refugees from Myanmar. [Photograph]. Refugee Council of Australia

https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/myanmar-burma/2/

Burmese traditions

35338436 — 2024-08-25 01:21:58 UTC

Burmese have many traditions, including Thanaka; women and children have yellow paste over their faces, creating streaks along the cheekbone to the entire face. These are made from 'thanaka' powder (Abrahms, 2020). It's believed to protect the skin from the sun and prevent wrinkles (Abrahms, 2020). Chinlone is a game where participants pass a woven cane ball to each other using their feet, not letting it hit the ground while pulling off fancy moves (Abrahms, 2020). Teak Palaces form vast forests in the region's foothills; Teak is the building material for the Burmese because of its durability (Abrahms, 2020). The wood is resistant to monsoons and termites (Abrahms, 2020).

Transidus. (2020, April 15). Unique Traditions in Myanmar

https://www.transindus.co.uk/inspiration/blog/unique-traditions-in-myanmar/

Burmese food

35338436 — 2024-08-25 01:22:20 UTC

Burmese have many traditional foods, such as Tea leaf salad (Cruises, 2021). Tea leaf salad in fermented tea leaves, and Burma is one of the few countries where the tea is eaten and drunk; this is also a peace offering as it was traditionally consumed to seal a court verdict (Cruises, 2021). Mohinga dish is Burma's unofficial national dish, traditionally served for breakfast (Cruises, 2021). Burmese Tofu is a dish made from chickpeas, and this dish comes in fritters, too, crisp outside and fluffy inside (Cruises, 2021). Samosa Thoke is a traditional Burmese street food that also resembles Indian samosa (Cruises, 2021). They are filled with potatoes and chickpea powder (Cruises, 2021).

Rainforest Cruises. (2021, April 28). Myanmar Food: 15 Traditional Dishes You Should Eat. Rainforest Cruises

https://www.rainforestcruises.com/guides/myanmar-food

Burmese sport

35338436 — 2024-08-25 01:22:42 UTC

Burma is known for its different team and individual sports, the most popular being football, followed by golf (Wood, 2016). Burma has been waiting for football since the change of the government in the early 90s (Wood, 2016). Watching football is their way of bonding (Wood 2016). Golf is another popular sport nationwide in Burma(Wood, 2016). Burma also practices other sports, such as martial arts(Wood, 2016). Different types of martial arts are known in Burma, but the most popular is Lethwei (Wood, 2016). Lethwei is a form of kickboxing (Wood, 2016). Another popular local sport is Chinlone, a ball-centric game that is very popular in the country and played by many people (Wood, 2016).

Topend Sports. (2016, November). Sports in Myanmar

https://www.topendsports.com/world/countries/myanmar.htm#google_vignette

Stephen. (2017). Myanmar Traditional Sport: A Combination of Sports and Dance. [Photograph]. Go Myanmar Tours.

https://www.gomyanmartours.com/chinlon-myanmar-traditional-sport-combination-sports-dance/