BAJURA, FEBRUARY 22

A disease with symptoms similar to that of measles is reported to have spread in children in Amkot of Budhiganga Municipality-1, Bajura, of late. According to Assistant Nursing Midwife Bindu Bista of Dhuralsain Primary Health Centre, seven kids with measles-like symptoms were brought to the health centre for treatment today.

'The seven kids who came for treatment were from the same village and had the same symptoms,' said ANM Bista, adding the kids had fever ranging between 102 and 103 degree Fahrenheit and rashes all over the body and were suffering from cough and runny nose. Locals said other kids in the village were also sick with similar symptoms. The disease is said to have first appeared about a week ago.

In the wake of the finding of the new disease, the health centre has informed the municipality about the same.

'We have been informed of a measles-like disease, true, and we are sending a team of health workers to the health facility tomorrow and the team will send samples of the diseased kids to Dhangadi laboratory for a test,' said Budhiganga Municipality health coordinator Dipal Shah, adding whether the disease was measles or some other disease would be learnt only following a test report of the samples.

The health coordinator has said the municipality has launched an awareness campaign to prevent the disease spreading further. Measles can easily spread through respiration and has been reported mainly in developing countries.

The disease can be seen among unvaccinated persons, patients suffering from other diseases and low immunity. In Nepal, the government provides free vaccine to kids aged between 9 and 15 months to save them from the disease. Kids thus vaccinated will have immunity against the disease for their whole life.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 23, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.