National
Medical team reaches Tajakot to treat patients with flu-like symptoms
Over 250 people in Tajakot have been taken ill with flu-like symptoms like fever, common cold, headache, body ache, cough, dizziness, vomiting, et cetera.Arjun Poudel
The Social Development Ministry of Karnali Province has deployed a team of doctors to Tajakot Rural Municipality in Humla district to treat the patients suffering from influenza-like illness.
The ministry deployed four doctors and several health workers to the rural municipality on Sunday following the death of nine people, including two children, within one week to the undiagnosed disease.
Over 250 people in Tajakot have been taken ill with flu-like symptoms like fever, common cold, headache, body ache, cough, dizziness, vomiting, et cetera.
“We have started providing care to the patients visiting the health post for treatment,” Dr KN Poudel of the Provincial Hospital, who is leading the medical team, told the Post over phone.
As of Sunday evening, Poudel said, 132 patients received medical attention at Mahila Health Post.
“At present we cannot determine the exact cause of the illness. We will collect throat swabs from the seriously ill patients tomorrow and send it to Kathmandu for lab tests to confirm the disease and its cause,” Poudel said.
The local health post and the District Hospital in Simikot, the district headquarters, do not have laboratories of their own and lack experts and trained staff to ascertain the cause of the disease.
“Today, we examined patients who visited the health post. Starting tomorrow, we will visit the disease-affected areas to provide care to those who could not come to the health post,” Shyam Acharya, health coordinator of Karnali Province, said.
According to him, the medical team will also hold discussions with the elected representatives and the local government officials to figure out the best way forward.
A Nepal Army chopper was used to transport the medical team and medicines to the disease hit area.
Brish Bahadur Shahi, the focal person of health at the Social Development Ministry of the province, said that essential medicines kept in buffer stock were sent to the disease-hit areas.
He added that the provincial government was in touch with the concerned agencies of the federal government to seek further support if needed.
Tajakot Rural Municipality is located in remote region of Humla. The area does not have road access and it takes at least three days to reach there on foot from the district headquarters.
(Kalendra Sejuwal contributed reporting from Surkhet)