LIWANG: At least four persons died while more than 250 persons have taken ill due to strange diseases of fever, diarrhoea and vomiting in Dhawang VDC of Rolpa district with the past two weeks. Chure Thawali, Dali Damini and Pune Gharti had died three days ago. A three-month-old baby died of diarrhoea six days ago, locals said.

According to the villagers, most of those suffering are from Dalit settlements. “Symptoms of fever, dizziness and diarrhoea are seen among the patients before they started vomiting some green substances,” Raj Bahadur Gharti, a local said. “The news of the deaths could not be reported to the district headquarters early since the VDC lacks means of communication,” Gharti said. The village is reached only after a three hours walk from the district headquarters Liwang. The patients suffering from the vomiting have been brought to the district headquarters for treatment.

“Though many people are suffering from the disease, very few of them come for treatment,” Suman Acharya, health worker at local sub-health post said. The patients said that it was not possible for them to go to the sub-health post as it is located at a far distance.

Several local residents have gone to uphill fearing that they might be transmitted the disease to prevent themselves from the disease.

Health workers said that the disease spread due to the lack of sanitation and consumption of contaminated water. Dr Yubraj Pokhrel, chief, District Public Health Office, informed that a team of health workers led by Yogendra Rijal was deployed to the village.

Similar diseases in different

parts of the district have claimed eight lives in the past two months in the district.