Tests at Nepalgunj Medical College had shown the presence of vibrio cholerae at the start of an outbreak of diarrhea but the DPHO had refused to accept the report for lack of verification from the National Public Health Laboratory in Kathmandu. [break]
The DPHO, however, said Sunday that one of three samples sent to Kathmandu on July 30 has shown cholera bacteria. It said that reports on 18 other samples sent on July 31 have yet to come in. But doctors allayed fears, saying there was no need to panic as the treatment procedures for diarrhea and cholera are similar.
Meanwhile, the number of diarrhea patients in Nepalgunj has started to decline one week after the outbreak. The DPHO claimed that instant mobilization of health workers and easy availability of medicines have helped in controlling the disease.
Diarrhea outbreak in Dang
DANG: The DPHO has established camps in the hill villages of Dang following the spread of diarrhea.
The diarrhea toll in the district has reached eight with the death of Anita Chaudhary, 6, of Rampur-6, Motipur on Sunday. The DPHO, however, said there have been just four diarrhea deaths in the district and other deaths that media attributed to diarrhea were actually due to other reasons.
“The girl died after eating wild mushroom. The other deaths in Panchakule and other VDCs were also due to toxic mushroom,” claimed DPHO official RD Shah, who has returned after visiting the villages.
The number of patients has been increasing rapidly although teams of health workers from district headquarters have been distributing medicines in the villages. Locals say the number of patients in the hill VDCs of Rampur, Hansipur, Kavre, Saigha, Loharpani and Laxmipur in the east has been increasing.
But the DPHO said there is no exact record of patients as villagers take only the serious patients to the health centers.
Related story
Three more detected with cholera in Kathmandu
