KATHMANDU, Aug 11: Cholera is spreading in the capital, with 28 people testing positive for the deadly disease.
Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital (STIDH), which conducted tests on stool samples of diarrheal patients admitted to the hospital, said that 28 people have tested positive for cholera as of Monday."Twenty-eight people have tested positive for cholera," Dr Sher Bahadur Pun at the hospital said, adding that the hospital has also confirmed the infection in patients from the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) of the Department of Health Services (DoHS).
According to Dr Pun, most of the patients visiting the hospital are from the Kuleshwor-Kalimati area. Diarrheal patients from other localities such as Lainchaur, Thamel and Baneshwor are also visiting the hospital. Dr Pun said some of the patients admitted to the hospital had been rushed there in a critical stage.
"In most cases, people bring diarrheal patients to the hospital only when they are in a serious condition," added Dr Pun. He also said that only one out of 10 diarrheal patients seeks treatment in government hospitals. "About half the patients buy medicines from pharmacies and others seek treatment at private facilities," he said. In some cases, entire families have been infected, he said.
STIDH sends stool samples from infected patients to the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) for further confirmation of the strain. STIDH said that the serotypes Ogawa and Inaba of Vibrio cholera have been found in the patients.
Over 40 diarrheal patients have been visiting STIDH every day. The hospital has also started a gastro unit targeting diarrheal patients. All the beds at the gastro unit have been occupied by diarrheal patients and the health staff have shifted many of the patients to other units at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) at DoHS said that the number of diarrheal cases has been declining gradually. Officials at EDCD informed that the health agencies concerned including EDCD have been launching an awareness drive in the affected areas and investigating the causes of infection.
"We have been investigating the cause of the cholera spread," Dr Baburam Marasini, director at EDCD, said.
A study carried out by several agencies under the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) and the Nepal Army Medical Crops following the massive earthquake recently claims that the population in earthquake-hit districts including those in the Valley are vulnerable to various epidemics, including diarrheal epidemics.
MoHP, which carried out the post-quake risk assessment in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Gorkha, Dhading, Sindhupalchowk and Kavrepalanchowk districts from April 30 to May 24, found that 74 percent of the water samples collected from the affected districts are unfit for drinking.
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