KATHMANDU: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs today publicised a report on the diarrhoeal outbreak in the Mid-western region. According to the report, the death toll in 115 VDCs of 17 districts had reached 233 till now. It also said that the number of districts reporting diarrhoeal cases were increasing.

According to the World Health Organisation, the number of deaths in Jajarkot and Rukum are slowly decreasing. Eight samples were tested positive for Vibrio Cholera out of the 20 samples collected from the two districts, it reported.

The Nepal government had announced a short term and a long term plan for the coordination of response and preventative measures in the diarrhoea hit areas. The Ministry of Health and Population has dispatched officials in Surkhet and Jajarkot for the better coordination of response at the ground level.

The report said that the UN-OCHA in coordination with the MoHP had started a District Pre-Monsoon Disaster Preparedness programme in the diarrhoea hit districts. UN-OCHA had also helped to establish a coordination mechanism in Jajarkot for a strengthened and integrated response.

UN-OHCA further stated that WHO distributed surveillance forms to the 15 Surveillance Medical Officers (SMO) located in the affected areas, as well as to the case management protocols. The report also emphasised the need to implement prevention activities including continued hygiene awareness campaigns to people in the vulnerable districts.