Taplejung, May 26:

Over half the villagers of Papung Village Development Committee (VDC), Taplejung district, are infected with tuberculosis (TB), a doctor of the Taplejung District Hospital

said. The village is home to 1556 people, most of them Sherpas.

Most of the people of the VDC, which lies in the northern parts of the district, are infected with TB, Dr Shree Ram Prasad Shah said. “At least one member of each family at Papung is suffering from TB. TB has also been making inroads into the neighbouring Sanwa and Nalbu VDCs,” said Indra Man Sherpa of Nalbu-9.

Health workers attribute the spread of TB to hard labour, malnutrition and use of contaminated water.

TB has infected more women than men here, LB Panta, an assistant health worker of the Papung-based sub-health post said. According to him, the communicable disease has been spreading here mainly because people — TB patients and others — use the same pipe while drinking Tungba (local wine).

“Children drink Tungba through the pipe used by TB-infected parents. That is why, the children, too, have been infected.”

However, the Paplung villagers do not know when TB made inroads into the VDC.

“TB has become a public health problem here because its patients do not seek the services of health workers but look for shamans for treatment,” Panta said.