The disease that has claimed more than 25 lives in India has been confirmed to have been found in 20 patients in Nepal including a foreigner.
Speaking on the occasion, Health Secretary Dr Sudha Sharma said the ministry has received information about certain persons fraudulently selling vaccines and medications for precaution from the disease. “There is no vaccine for prevention from the disease and the only treatment is Tamiflu that is administered after one contracts the disease. It (Tamiflu) works only after infection and shouldn´t be taken beforehand as a preventive measure owing to its toxicity,” Dr Sharma said vowing to take action against such fraudulent practitioners.
Talking about the preparedness during the upcoming flu season Dr Sharma said the government is serious about it and doing its best setting up Rapid Response Teams in all 75 districts apart from referral hospitals in several places throughout the country.
“The main thing is change of sanitation habits and awareness. But if the flu epidemic ultimately breaks out in Nepal and goes out of control like cholera epidemic it will also be failure of the media in not being able to raise awareness among the people,” Dr Sharma tried to pass the buck.
Deputy head of the Avian Influenza Control Project Dr Jitendra Man Shrestha made a presentation on the disease, its status in Nepal and the work done by the ministry to control it.
Dr Shrestha informed that around US$3.2 million has so far been spent by the Avian Influenza Control Project since it was set up two years back as part of a four-year deal with the World Bank. “The major contribution is from the World Bank and the government has spent only around Rs 1.5 million on the project,” Dr Shrestha added.
WHO representative in Nepal Dr Alexander Andjaparidze refuted allegations by the Informal Sector Service Center (Insec) that has blamed the cholera epidemic on sub-standard food distributed by the World Food Program.
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