Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, May 19:

The pressure of patients affected by water-borne diseases at the Teku Hospital is gradually decreasing since last Sunday. Only 84 patients came to the 100-bed hospital on that day.

Some 55 patients with severe and mild diarrhoea cases visited the hospital today. The number was 65 yesterday and 69 on Monday. According to Dr Shiva Shankar Jha, director of the hospital, the number of patients began to rise since May 2. He said the doctors had not felt any pressure last year.

A doctor on duty at the emergency ward said some patients had chicken. Nirmala Kunwar, 30, of Bagbazar suffered from diarrhoea though she used to drink boiled water. The doctor said 80 out of 100 cases are water-borne. Dr Jha said personal hygiene is the most important precaution during this season. People should be careful not to eat contaminated foods.

Senior Food Research Officer at the Food Technology and Quality Control Department, Ganesh Dawadi, said some 10 people have been visiting hotels and restaurants at Old Bus Park, Old and New Banewor and other parts of the valley creating awareness about water-borne diseases. “Collective effort is necessary to avoid such diseases,” he said. Samples of stools have been taken to the National Public Health Laboratory in order to find out causes of the epidemic. However, the results, according to Dr Jha, can take a few more days. Those visiting the hospital were from Balaju, Bhaktapur, Pulchowk, Kalanki, Kuleswor, Swoyambhu, Syuchatar and Naikap areas of the Valley. Meanwhile, 20-30 gastro-enteritis patients have been visiting the Kanti Children’s Hospital every day. Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, executive director of Environment and Public Health Organisation, said, "We suspect unclean and polluted drinking water to be the main reason for a rise in the number of dysentery patients in past one week."