Viral fever claims nine, including five children in a week

Jajarkot, January 6

Nine persons, five of them children, died due to an outbreak of viral fever, cold and cough in Jajarkot’s remote Junichande Rural Municipality over one week.

Though the district public health office confirmed five deaths, it is yet to ascertain whether the remaining deaths were also caused by the outbreak.

According to DPHO Chief Ram Bahadur Nepali, a joint team of health workers from his office and the primary health centre of Garkhakhot has reached the affected area with medicines and started treatment. “The team has started treating the afflicted,” he said, adding that the cause of  deaths will be revealed tomorrow.

Local Majkot Health Post In-charge Hari Bahadur Singh informed that those who succumbed, except the kids, were over 50. “As most of them were well over 50 and were chronic patients of one or the other disease, they could have died due to high fever,” he reasoned. He identified the deceased as Satrup Shahi, 75, Dhansara Nath, 65, Aaiti Diruwa, 65, and Karasingh Tamata, 52. “Among the five children who died, one was four-years-old and the others below one,” he said.

As per data with the health post, more than 50 viral fever, cold and cough patients visit the health facility every day these days. Most of them are children and the elderly. Further, according to Singh, more 160 persons were examined and provided medicines. “There are two or three patients in every household now,” he said.

DPHO Chief Nepali informed that the health workers’ team will remain in the village for a few more days to treat patients. “There is no need to worry as the team has been deployed in the outbreak-affected area with necessary medicines,” he said, adding they were committed to preventing the outbreak from spiralling into an epidemic.

According to sources, the outbreak has mostly gripped Juni, Chande, Kapra, Badkule, Karkigaun, Majkot, Alimaugana, Dadakot and Parale villages in Junichande Rural Municipality.

According to health workers, the patients have throat pain, dry cough, headache, muscular pain, mild sweating and fever.