Kathmandu, July 25:

Viral fever that has gripped refugee camps in Jhapa and Ilam has been brought under control, a government doctor said today.

The first case of the disease was reported on June 27 and altogether 795 cases have been recorded so far.

The government had mobilised Immediate Rapid Response teams to collect blood samples and provide medical services to the patients in the two districts, Dr Manas Kumar Banerjee, the director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) of the Department of Health, said.

Jhapa alone recorded 176 cases of viral fever in four village development committees and 619 cases in refugee camps, according to him.

This is the third consecutive year that Jhapa has been hit by the disease.

“The monsoon is an unusual season for viral fever to spread. The disease mostly appears in the transitional period between summer and monsoon,” Dr Banerjee said. Seventy cases of the fever, which can cause mild to severe illness, were recorded in Illam.

However, health officers are investigating and verifying cases of the disease reported in Saptari and Chitwan, Dr Banerjee said.

Blood samples of 187 patients were collected from the Mechi Zonal Hospital and refugee camps in Belgangi, Khudunabari, Temai, Goldhap and Dhulabari.

Rapid influenza test on these samples showed that 84 of them were A-negative, while the rest were A-positive, Dr Banerjee said.

He said the samples would be sent to the AFRIMS laboratory in Bangkok for further tests.

According to the EDCD, viral fever can be prevented by avoiding close contact with persons suffering from the disease.

Dr Banerjee said washing hands regularly, drinking plenty of fluids and eating nutritious food will also help prevent the disease.