CHITWAN, BAGLUNG, Sept 25: An outbreak of viral fever that claimed seven lives in just one week in Dailekh district early this month continues to affect people in other parts of the country with five new deaths in a week.
Weeks after the Dailekh fever outbreak seems to have been contained, viral fever has claimed two lives in Chitwan and three in Sindhupalchowk districts in a week.
According to the District Public Health Office (DPHO) of Chitwan, Lekha Regmi and her sister Menuka Regmi, residents of Gardi VDC-8 in Chitwan district, who were recently admitted to Bharatpur Hospital for treatment, died on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
In Sindhupalchok district, three people, including a schoolgirl, died due to the fever in a week.
Sunmaya Tamang, 65, of Hagam VDC-1, Dhan Bahadur Shrestha, 65, of Hagam VDC-3, and Anjali Neupane, 8, of Phulpingkot VDC-3 in Sindhupalchok district have died after developing intense fever for several days, according to the locals. Anjali was a third grader at Laxmi Devi Secondary School, Phulpingkot.
Shreedhar Neupane, a local of Phupingkot VDC, told Republica on the phone that many people in his neighborhood have fallen sick due to viral fever. “There are sick people in every household,” said Neupane. “People are fearful that they may also catch the viral fever.”
Phulpingkot health post and Jalbire Primary Healthcare Centre are overcrowded with sick people, according to Neupane. Padam Bhandari, a teacher in Phulpingkot VDC, said most of the students have already stopped attending classes due to the fear of fever.
The District Public Health Office (DPHO) of Sindhupalchok has sent a team of health workers to provide medical treatment to sick people.
In Chitwan, with the latest deaths of Lekha and Menuka, the number of people killed by the fever has reached 10 in two months. Earlier, four in Chitwan Medical College, three in Bharatpur Hospital and one in College of Medical Science, Chitwan had died of viral fever nearly two months ago.
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