Burma's ruling junta today condemned offers of foreign aid and criticised donors' demands for access to the Irrawaddy delta.
It said the 2.4 million victims of Cyclone Nargis could "stand by themselves".
"The people from Irrawaddy can survive on self-reliance without chocolate bars donated by foreign countries," the Kyemonnewspaper said in an editorial. The paper is controlled by the army and is thought to reflect the thinking of the top generals.
The editorial also accused the international community of being stingy, noting that the United Nations' $201 million "flash appeal" was still a long way from being full nearly four weeks after the disaster, which left 134,000 dead or missing.
The level of aid stands in stark contrast to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, when outside governments promised $2 billion within a week of the disaster.
"Myanmar needs about $11 billion. The pledging amounted to over $150 million, less than the $201 million mentioned by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as emergency aid," it said.
The tone of the editorial follows criticism of the junta's extension on Tuesday of the five-year house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The United Nations said today it is stepping up efforts to combat malaria, cholera and other diseases in Burma that are now the main threat to millions left homeless by this month's cyclone.
Stagnant water in the wake of the cyclone and storm surge, which left up to 2.4 million people destitute, has created ideal breeding conditions for malaria and dengue, said World Health Organisation assistant director-general Eric Laroche.
Mr Laroche heads the international health operation formed to deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar's fertile Irrawaddy Delta region and the capital Yangon on May 2nd.
"The major threat in health now is communicable disease," he said the day after his return from Yangon. It was also the monsoon season in Myanmar, a time when malaria, dengue fever and cholera outbreaks tend to occur, he said.
The government was treating any cases of acute diarrhoea as potential cholera, he said. Non-governmental organisations have reported outbreaks of cholera, but none has been verified and the government has not confirmed any, he said.
The WHO is leading a partnership with official, private and non-governmental organisations in Myanmar to tackle the crisis. It has approved a $28 million action plan over six months for the programme, including $10 million directly for WHO operations.
Another priority was to rebuild Myanmar's health infrastructure.
The government had already called on private firms to help rebuild schools and hospitals and reconstruction was taking place surprisingly quickly.
Hunger for those left homeless or without the ability to grow food is also a health risk.