Amnesty: Myanmar army killed at least hundreds of Rohingya

Myanmar security forces killed hundreds of men, women and children during a systematic campaign to expel Rohingya Muslims, Amnesty International said in a new report Wednesday that calls for an arms embargo on the country and criminal prosecution of the perpetrators.

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims walk in the rain after Bangladesh border guard soldiers prevented them from moving ahead towards refugee camps at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

More than 580,000 refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when Myanmar security forces began a scorched-earth campaign against Rohingya villages. Myanmar's government has said it was responding to attacks by Muslim insurgents, but the United Nations and others have said the response was disproportionate.

The continuing exodus of Rohingya Muslims has become a major humanitarian crisis and sparked international condemnation of Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which still denies atrocities are taking place.

Based on interviews with more than 120 fleeing Rohingya, Amnesty International said at least hundreds of people were killed by security forces who surrounded villages, shot fleeing inhabitants and then set buildings alight, burning to death the elderly, sick and disabled who were unable to flee.

A newly arrived Rohingya Muslim boy, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, carries his belonging in the rain in Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

In some villages, women and girls were raped or subjected to other sexual violence, according to the report.

The witnesses repeatedly described an insignia on their attackers' uniforms that matched one worn by troops from Myanmar's Western Command, Amnesty International said.

When shown various insignia used by Myanmar's army, witnesses consistently picked out the Western Command patch, it said.

The 33rd Light Infantry Division and border police, who wear a distinctive blue camouflage uniform, were also frequently involved in attacks on villages, along with Buddhist vigilante mobs, witnesses said.

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims lie on the floor as they are treated inside a makeshift hospital at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Matthew Wells, an Amnesty crisis researcher who spent several weeks at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, said the rights group plans to issue another report in the coming months examining individual criminal responsibility, including specific commanders and others that may be involved in abuses.

He said hundreds of Rohingya have been treated for gunshot wounds and doctors say that the injuries are consistent with people being shot from behind as they fled.

There were credible indications that a total of several hundred people had been killed in just five villages that were the focus of Amnesty's reporting. Wells said that given that dozens of villages across northern Rakhine State have been targeted in a similar fashion, the death toll could be much higher.

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, rest on an embankment after spending a night in the open as they have been prevented from moving ahead towards refugee camps by Bangladesh border guard soldiers at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

He said satellite imagery, corroborated by witness accounts, show that Rohingya homes and mosques have been burned entirely in villages, while non-Rohingya areas just one or two hundred yards (meters) away were untouched.

"It speaks to how organized, how seemingly well-planned this scorched-earth campaign has been by the Myanmar military and how determined the effort has been to drive the Rohingya population out of the country," Wells said.

Among almost two dozen recommendations, the human rights group called for the U.N. Security Council to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar and financial sanctions against senior officials responsible for violations that Amnesty says meet the criteria for crimes against humanity.

A newly arrived Rohingya Muslim woman wades through water carrying her son at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

It said the council should explore options for bringing the perpetrators to justice under international law if Myanmar authorities do not act swiftly.

"It is time for the international community to move beyond public outcry and take action to end the campaign of violence that has driven more than half the Rohingya population out of Myanmar," Amnesty International said.

On Aug. 25, a Rohingya insurgent group known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked at least 30 security posts on Aug. 25, causing dozens of casualties, according to Myanmar authorities. The brutal attacks against Rohingya that followed has been described by the U.N. as "textbook ethnic cleansing."

A Bangladesh border guard soldier stops newly arrived Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, from moving ahead towards refugee camps, at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

The exodus of Rohingya into Bangladesh has continued, with a few small breaks, over the last eight weeks.

New arrivals, almost all terrified and starving, have described scenes of incredible violence with army troops and Buddhist mobs attacking Rohingya homes.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has denied citizenship for the Rohingya since 1982 and excludes them from the 135 ethnic groups officially recognized, which effectively renders them stateless. They have long faced discrimination and persecution with many Buddhists in Myanmar calling them "Bengalis" and saying they migrated illegally from Bangladesh, even though they have lived in the country for generations.

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims wait in the rain covering themselves with plastic sheets after Bangladesh border guard soldiers prevented them from moving ahead towards refugee camps at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A newly arrived Rohingya Muslim boy, who crossing over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, walks with his belongings at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, carry their sick children and rest at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Bangladesh border guard soldier stops newly arrived Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, from moving ahead towards refugee camps, at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A newly arrived Rohingya woman holds her sick son as a Bangladesh border guard soldier checks him before allowing them to proceed forward to receive medical assistance, at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims sit in the rain covering themselves with plastic sheets after Bangladesh border guard soldiers prevented them from moving ahead towards refugee camps at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims sit in the rain covering themselves with plastic sheets after Bangladesh border guard soldiers prevented them from moving ahead towards refugee camps at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Bangladesh border guards soldier keeps an eye on newly arrived Rohingya Muslims who have been prevented from moving ahead to refugee camps at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Rohingya Muslim man Qasim Ahmed, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, carries his sick mother to a nearby makeshift hospital at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, rest after spending a night in the open as they have been prevented from moving ahead towards refugee camps by Bangladesh border guard soldiers at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims carry their ailing mother towards a makeshift hospital as it rains in Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, rest on embankments after spending a night in the open as they have been prevented from moving ahead towards refugee camps by Bangladesh border guard soldiers at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A newly arrived Rohingya Muslim woman Anjuna Khatoon, 23, holds her 5-day-old baby girl who she gave birth to while making the journey to cross the border from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, rest in a field after spending a night in the open as they have been prevented from moving ahead towards refugee camps by Bangladesh border guard soldiers at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A newly arrived Rohingya Muslim woman stands in the rain carrying her son after Bangladesh border guard soldiers prevented them from moving ahead towards refugee camps at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Newly arrived Rohingya Muslim children, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh, rest on an embankment after spending a night in the open as they have been prevented from moving ahead towards refugee camps by Bangladesh border guard soldiers at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.  (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Rohingya Muslim child sits inside a basket after the new arrivals were prevented from moving ahead towards refugee camps by Bangladesh border guard soldiers at Palong Khali, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Allergy season can bring misery to tens of millions of Americans each year.

Tree, grass, and other pollens can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing.

Where you live and what you're allergic to can make a big difference in how bad your allergies are, but there are many things you can do to feel better.

Here are some tips from experts to keep allergies at bay — maybe even enough to allow you to enjoy the outdoors.

There are three main types of pollen. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall.

Some of the most common tree pollens that cause allergies include birch, cedar, cottonwood, maple, elm, oak and walnut, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Grasses that cause symptoms include Bermuda, Johnson, rye and Kentucky bluegrass.

The best and first step to controlling allergies is avoiding exposure. That’s easier said than done when it's nice out.

Start with keeping your windows closed at home and in the car, avoiding going out when pollen counts are highest and changing clothes when you get home. The same masks that got us through the pandemic can protect you from allergies — though they won't help with eye symptoms.

Pollen trackers can help with planning. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology tracks levels through a network of counting stations across the U.S. Counts are available at its website and via email.

You can't fight an enemy you don't know.

Since many Americans are allergic to several things at once, the first thing to figure out is what specifically you’re allergic to, said Dr. Nana Mireku, an allergist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Over-the-counter nasal sprays can help relieve symptoms, but they take a while to kick in, so it’s best to start them in early in the season, said Dr. Rachna Shah, an allergist and director of the Loyola Medicine Allergy Count.

Antihistamines are another option. Shah said she’s seen some patients benefit from switching to a similar brand if one stops working, but said that there isn’t much broader data to back the recommendation.

For young children and people who have to take many different allergy medications, immunotherapies in the form of shots and oral drops can help desensitize the immune system to allergens, treating symptoms at their root.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-the-counter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. This year, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City.

If you've been thinking it started earlier and seems longer this year, you're on to something.

Shah usually starts looking at pollen counts in the Chicago area in April. But this year, she peeked at her data in mid-February, and tree pollen was already at a “moderate” level.

“This season has been so nuts,” she said. “Granted, it was a pretty mild winter, but I didn’t expect it to be so early.”

Shah said she believes this season will be longer than other years, assuming the weather remains warm.

Experts say climate change has led to longer and more intense allergy seasons.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Tree pollen pods lay in a pile at a park in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2024. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issues an annual ranking of the most challenging cities to live in if you have allergies, based on over-the-counter medicine use, pollen counts and the number of available allergy specialists. In 2024, the top five were Wichita, Kansas; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Dallas; and Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - An oak tree with new leaf growth also shows pollen and a drop of water hanging among the branches at a park in Richardson, Texas, Thursday, March 21, 2024. There are three main types of pollen. Earlier in the spring, tree pollen is the main culprit. After that grasses pollinate, followed by weeds in the late summer and early fall. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)