People infected with rabies virus in Jajarkot are compelled to travel all the way to Banke or Surkhet for anti-rabies shots as the District Hospital is without anti-rabies vaccines for the past two months.

The District Hospital receives up to seven patients who are in need of anti-rabies vaccines daily. The hospital has been sending them to Banke or Surkhet for treatment. 

Anti-rabies vaccines are administered in five doses within 28 days of virus exposure. With the vaccines unavailable in Jajarkot, patients bitten by dogs or other rabies vectors are forced travel outside the district for treatment.

Pitri Prasad Sharma of Tribeni Nalgadh Municipality said for persons who are bitten by dogs, there was no hope of treatment in the district.  

“I had to go to Nepalgunj and pay Rs 700 for a single dose of vaccine at a private clinic,” he said. “Besides treatment, there is also travel, food and lodge expenses.” 

Dr Krishna Jung Shah at the District Hospital said that they had no alternative than to refer the dog-bite patients outside the district due to unavailability of vaccines. 

“The Regional Medical Store in Nepalgunj has not supplied the vaccines despite our repeated requests” Shah said. 

Janak Giri, information officer at the store, said they themselves were out of anti-rabies vaccines for the past one month. “The Department of Health has not supplied the vaccines for the past three months,” he said.