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Jajarkot death toll reaches 20

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JAJARKOT, April 18: Two more locals have succumbed to the deadly flu outbreak across Jajarkot district, bringing the death toll to 20 since the begining of the outbreak three weeks ago.

Bal Bahadur Nepali, 50, of Achharni VDC ward 2 and Hansa Bahadur Shahi, 58, of ward 7 died on Thursday night.


According to the local health post at Achharni, the deceased had developed headaches, fever, nausea with vomiting, and fatigue.

Following the two deaths, the community hospital at Chaurjahari in neighboring Rukum district has set up a free health camp at Achharni VDC since Friday to care for the affected locals.

A team of heath workers led Dr Suman Rai of the community hospital has been providing treatment to the patients. The affected village, where over 500 locals have been infected with the flu, is 45 km from Jajarkot district headquarters Khalanga. It takes one and a half days to trek to the village and there is no other mode of transport.

As of Thursday evening, over 2,500 patients from the affected villages including Achharne, Talegaun, Sakla, Pajaru, and Painka have been examined, informed Krishna Khatri, the focal person responsible for disease control programs in the district.

"Among the patients examined, 20 to 25 percent of those infected have been diagnosed with seasonal flu," he said. "We've arranged special care for such patients."

Last week, the H1N1 virus that causes swone flu was detected in three out of 12 samples from Jajarkot examined by the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) at Teku in the capital.

On Wednesday, samples from 22 more patients were sent to NPHL for lab testing, according to the district health office (DHO).

The outbreak of the deadly disease has been a catastrophe for the district. Some of those infected, who cannot reach the local health center, are languishing helpless at home.

Some patients from the poorer communities who are unable to visit local health centers are yet to receive any attention from the authorities, said Dr Rai of the community hospital. Patients from remote areas have to walk some four to five hours to reach the local health center.

Although the government has deployed some doctors in the affected areas, they are yet to set up health camps there, Dr Rai said.

Meanwhile, focal person Khatri of DHO Jajarkot claimed that the outbreak is gradually coming under control, thanks to the health workers currently deployed in affected areas.

Dr Rai, however, said that they are reeling under a shortage of medicines at the health camp. The DHO has already sent out the medicines but local health facilities have yet to receive them, he further said.

Locals in the infected areas have become irate over the poor response shown by the authorities. They complained of an insufficient number of health workers in the field. It is also surprising that the in-charges of local health centers in the affected VDCs are absent from their workplaces.

When there is a change in the weather followed by rainfall, an outbreak of diarrhea is most likely, given the lack of safe drinking water, Dr Rai also said.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) has decided to mobilize local health workers in coordination with the District Drinking Water Supply office to raise awareness of personal hygiene and safe drinking water, the chief district officer said.



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