DAILEKH: Ten health workers deployed to contain the diarrhoea epidemic in various villages of Dailekh have caught the disease recently.

District Public Health Office chief, Dr Gunaraj Awasthi, said the doctors had contracted the disease since they are in the patients' frequent contact during their round-the-clock duties. The doctors, however, have not given up their effort of treating the diarrhoea patients. Dr Awasti said it had taken long to tame the outbreak that has gripped more than 10,000 people in the district. He said the ever-increasing number of patients had left paramedics tired and out.

The disease that first appeared in the village of Jagannath, that borders with Jajarkot district, has spread to Pipalkot, making it unconntrollable despite efforts by medical teams.

So far, 19 people have died to the disease in the district while thousands others have been taken ill.

Bhawani Box Battalion of Nepali Army set up a health camp in Bhairikalikathum VDC on Monday after seven persons died of the disease in the area. The team has claimed to have treated more than 500 patients. Doctors involved in the treatment said the disease had been spreading rapidly despite their tireless effort.

Dailekh toll hits 20

DAILEKH: Death toll of diarrhoea reached 20 in Dailekh district after Bibek Shahi (4) of Layatibindrasaini VDC-7 succumbed to diarrhoea on Wednesday. The disease is yet to be brought under control despite mobilisation of health workers, setting up of health camps in several VDCs. Meanwhile, the disease has claimed a total of seven lives in the neighboring Bhairikalikathum VDC till now. Amid the frequent deaths, the VDC residents have started a cleaning campaign in the village recently. Bhuwan Bharati, a local resident, informed that health workers, police personnel and the villagers, after forming a sanitation committee, have been involved in the campaign. The committee is also organising various health awareness programmes in the area. Bharati informed that the locals had also started to construct toilets now. — HNS