KATHMANDU, JULY 1
Three more people have contracted cholera in Kathmandu valley in the past 24 hours.
Two men aged 21 and 22 from Kirtipur and Teku, respectively, and a woman aged 30 from Kageswori Manohara were diagnosed with cholera today. With this, 17 people have contracted the disease in the valley in the past two weeks.
Chuman Lal Das, director of Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital said it was worrisome that cholera cases had been reported from places that are at a considerable distance from each other. It suggests that the number of cholera cases might be much higher than the ones reported.
"This can lead to a sudden outburst of such a highly contagious disease."
Over 80 per cent of people who contract cholera show mild or no symptoms, but they can easily spread the bacteria to other people.
With the increasing number of cholera patients from around the valley, the Ministry of Health and Population today issued a high alert asking all hospitals to be prepared for the worst case scenario in a bid to control the monsoon related contagious disease. Sameer Kumar Adhikari, chief of Health Emergency and Disaster Management Unit of the ministry, urged all the hospitals to be prepared and vigilant.
Cholera causes loose motion and vomiting that lead to acute dehydration.
Cholera patients can succumb to the disease within two hours to five days of contracting it if no immediate action is taken.
Doctors suggest that cholera patients should drink plenty of oral rehydration solution (jeevanjal).
They say the best way to ward off the disease is to drink only clean drinking water.
They suggest that the water be boiled or treated with chlorine.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 2, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
