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According to national household survey data for Myanmar, spanning the five-year interval 2005–2010, average real household consumption expenditures remained stagnant, but measured poverty incidence and inequality both declined significantly. The distribution of the economic pie shifted in favor of the poor while the overall size of the pie barely changed. This paper examines the possibility that the hitherto unexplained reduction in measured inequality was caused, at least partly, by a natural disaster, Tropical Cyclone Nargis, which devastated parts of Myanmar in May 2008. This hypothesis is supported by a recent historical study which argues that, globally, large reductions in inequality normally occur only through either man-made or natural disasters. The paper develops a method, based on regression analysis of household level data, for isolating the impact of an exogenous natural event like a cyclone. The estimated regression model is used to simulate a counterfactual distribution of expenditures in which, hypothetically, the cyclone did not occur. The estimated impact of the cyclone is the difference between the observed outcome, in which the cyclone happened, and this simulated, counterfactual outcome in which it did not. The findings indicate that the cyclone reduced inequality between regions of Myanmar, because the negatively affected regions were on average better-off than the unaffected regions, both before and after the cyclone. Within the affected regions the negative impact of the cyclone was largest in absolute terms among richer households, but as a proportion of household expenditures, these negative effects were larger among the poorer households. The cyclone therefore increased economic inequality within the affected regions. Overall measured inequality declined because the between-region reduction exceeded the within-region increase.

These days, vehicles are widely developed because of the latest technology. As a result, roadside barriers are used not only to minimize the speed of vehicles but also to prevent crossing into the opposite lanes. Many technologies are used to improve the strength of barriers. On the other hand, the production of natural rubber in Thailand is higher than in other Asian countries. The ministry of transportation is focusing on using rubber in roadside barriers. Therefore, in this study, three different types of vehicles with 920, 1575, and 2013 kg at a constant velocity of 35 mph for frontal impact were used to compare the strength of reinforced concrete barriers with and without natural rubber by using non-linear dynamic finite element analysis. Results proved that the barriers with rubber sheets stored energy absorption better than those without rubber sheets.

Additional file 3: Supplementary Table 3. Distribution of number of admissions of cardiovascular diseases during 2012 to 2017 in selected tertiary hospitals of Myanmar.

Additional file 2: Supplementary Table 2. Distribution of number of admissions of fifteen most common cancers during 2012 to 2017 in three tertiary hospitals of Myanmar.

Additional file 1: Supplementary Table 1. ICD-10 codes of four major non-communicable diseases- malignant neoplasms, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes during 2018.

Additional file 4: Supplementary Table 4. Distribution of number of admissions of chronic respiratory diseases during 2012 to 2017 in three tertiary hospitals of Myanmar.

Background As Myanmar is moving on its pathway of socio-economic development, there is a shift in epidemiological transition towards non-communicable diseases, out of which injury is one of the major concern. According to the statistics 2009, transport and occupational injuries were the most reported causes of morbidity in Myanmar. In Myanmar, motorcycle possessed the largest proportion of registered motor vehicles, accounting for 82.65%. Objective To study the risk factors for severe motorcycle injuries among motorcyclists in Magway township, central Myanmar. Methods A case control study conducted among motorcyclists who had history of motorcycle accidents within 3 year period. Semi-structured questionnaires were used which include background characteristics, human factors, motorcycle factors and environmental factors at the time of accident. Results Among background characteristics and human factors, there were significantly higher odds of severe injuries regarding age less than 25 year 1.07-9.37) ears (OR=2.54, 95% CI 1.35 to 4.80), education level up to high school (OR=3.06, 95% CI 1.52 to 6.14), This is an abstract of a presentation at Safety 2012, the 11th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, 1-4 October 2012, Michael Fowler Center, Wellington, New Zealand. Full text does not seem to be available for this abstract.