JAJARKOT, Jan 12: Health workers have launched an intense health campaign and awareness programs to contain the viral outbreak in Jajarkot district that has already claimed 12 lives.
The outbreak started about three weeks ago and is yet to be contained despite efforts by the District Public Health Office (DPHO), Jajarkot, and local health workers. Health workers said over a thousand people suffering from viral fever are still awaiting treatment while about 1,500 have received treatment.
Villages of the districts including Badkule, Maugan, Dadakot, Ali, Besipata, Kortang, Parale, Majkot, Bhairavtole, Shayala etc have high numbers of infected people. According to the DPHO, health camps have been set up in three places of each affected village and six teams of health workers have been mobilized to raise awareness, distribute medicines and run mobile camps.
Chief of the DPHO, Ram Bahadur Nepali informed Republica that 1,239 patients had received treatment till Wednesday while they were able to treat over 200 more patients on Thursday. According to him, senior Dr Pawan Shakya is leading the treatment campaign at Majakot of Junichande while Dr Bhupendra Prakash Malla, medical officer of Jajarkot District Hospital, is providing services at Dadakot.
Viral flu claims two more lives in Jajarkot
“We have mobilized two doctors and 15 health workers in total to control the outbreak. We have also dispatched sufficient medicines to the affected areas,” said Nepali.
Dr Shakya said the efforts to contain the outbreak would have been much effective, if there had been more people involved in the efforts. “Shortage of medicines and human resources will not help control the outbreak,” he warned.
Dr Malla shared a similar view. “The lack of awareness among the locals has contributed to the spreading of the outbreak,” he said.
Along with government health workers, other agencies including Nepal Army, Nepal Red Cross Society, elected local representatives among others are also involved in spreading awareness on ways to be safe from viral outbreak, according to Resham Bahadur Khadka, a local.
Additional health workers from Karnali Health Science Institute in Jumla have been called in to augment the ongoing efforts to control the viral outbreak in Jajarkot. However, they will reach the affected areas only on Friday due to the difficult topography, according to the DPHO.
