The strange disease that broke out during the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examinations some two weeks ago has claimed 11 lives in the district so far. It has also infected over 1,500 people in the remote villages.
Sadly, the government authorities took the outbreak seriously only after 11 locals died from it, and over a thousand locals have been infected with the disease within the last two weeks. Severe headache, cough, and fever, among others, are the symptoms of the disease.
A jumbo team led by Minister for Health and Population Khagaraj Adhikari on Sunday visited the affected villages including Painka, Archhani, Tale Gaun, Sakla, and Pajaru.
Health Minister Adhikari, who flew to the affected area in a Nepal Army chopper, was accompanied by doctors and medicines for the patients.
Apart from five doctors, medicines worth one million rupees have been delivered to Painka, Pajaru and Sakla VDCs, where the effect of the outbreak is severe, according to Minister Adhikari.
"Since patients suffering from the disease have been showing symptoms of more than one disease, doctors specialized in different thematic areas have been deployed to the affected areas," said he.
Dr Rajendra Panta, chief of Regional Health Directorate, Surkhet, said two doctors each have been deployed at Pajaru and Painka VDCs, while one doctor has been sent to Sakla VDC.
The disease has not been identified so far. The samples of blood and cough belonging to 10 patients have been sent to the National Public Health Laboratory, Teku in the capital.
The concerned authorities did not take the outbreak seriously until it made the headlines in different national media on Saturday.
Over 900 patients from Painka VDC and 178 from Sakla VDC have been treated till Sunday, as per the record maintained at the District Health Office (DHO), Jajarkot. Over 1,500 locals are still suffering from the plague. Children, elderly and women are the hardest hit by the disease.
"The spread of the disease is infecting locals at an alarming rate," said Prem Rokaya, a local. Some of the patients are still visiting faith healers seeking traditional treatment services, he said.
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