JAJARKOT, SEPTEMBER 11
Two persons were diagnosed with measles in Rawatgaun of Bheri Municipality.
They were diagnosed with the disease following a screening carried out with the help of the World Health Organisation after some people were found with symptoms similar to the disease, said Deepak Oli of the Health Branch of Bheri Municipality.
A total of 18 children were screened for the purpose.
Yesterday alone, Provincial Health Directorate, Surkhet, Health Service Office, Jajarkot, and Bheri Municipality health branch carried out joint on-site monitoring.
According to locals, the health service office has been vaccinating people against measles every year but the campaign has failed.
Nepal had targeted eliminating measles by 2019. However, in 2020, measles cases were found in Lalitpur, Sarlahi, Jhapa and Dhading districts. According to the Ministry of Health, 125 cases of measles have been detected in the last three-and-a-half months.
In 2019, the number of measles patients in the country was 430. Doctors have been warning that the incidence of tuberculosis and polio among children may increase in the coming days due to suspension of vaccination, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doctors say that measles mainly affects children under the age of five and pregnant women. Measles causes red blisters on the skin and fever. Measles can sometimes cause complications by infecting the lungs and brain.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 12 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
