Nepalgunj, August 2:

The Banke District Public Health Office (DPHO) has declared high alert in Nepalgunj keeping in view the threat of epidemics breaking out due to the flood and waterlogging.

The alert was declared after a meeting of Nepal Health Research Council chief Dr Mahesh Maskey, Family Health Division director Dr Bal Krishna Subedi, Disease Control Divison chief Dr Shankar Shrestha and Regional Health Director Dr Anand Shrestha and other officials today.

Officials attending the mee ting decided to take preventive steps even though no sign of any epidemic has been detected here so far.

Medicines have been kept ready in ample stock and information on maintaining hygiene and precautionary measures are going to be aired on local FM radio, said Banke DPHO disease control division chief Ram Bahadur Chand.

According to Chand, 1,497 persons in Raptipari (the region across Rapti River), Sonpur, Khajura, Holiya, Bankatwa VDCs and areas of Nepalgunj town were treated for various ailments. Most of the flood-affected persons are suffering from bronchitis, viral fever, typhoid and dysentery.

In Bardiya, five teams of health workers have been deployed to treat the flood-affected people suffering from dysentery, fever and other diseases caused by contaminated drinking water. Relay teams of the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) are catering to the sick in those submerged villages where the government health teams are unable to reach.

Private clinics, health posts and hospitals are crammed with patients, most of them suffering from typhoid, dysentery, conjunctivitis, pneumonia and viral fever, said hospital sources.

Bardiya NRCS chief Mahesh Gautam said his team has treated 476 persons so far.

Dr Rama Shankar Deep at the district public health office said that all efforts are being made to prevent any outbreak of epidemics. He added five beds at the DPHO have been kept aside for patients suffering from flood-hit diseases.

According to the NRCS district chapter, 30 of the 31 VDCs in the district and one municipality are submerged.