People in the rural areas believe cholera to be the messenger of death. They believe any physical contact with the patient brings an omen. Hence, the locals refrain from helping patients. But once the patients succumb to death, villagers readily join the funeral procession as if in celebration of the departure of the evil messenger, says Dr Thakur, who returned to Kathmandu a couple of days back.
Thakur said the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and the Maoist People´s Liberation Army carried 59 patients, who were left to die by their families and neighbors, to the nearby health centers and camps. “Six such patients were taken from Aaathbiskot VDC, but not a single member from their family came to see them. One of them was not accepted by the family members when he was sent home after treatment,” Dr Thakur said.
The family had already performed the post death rituals and refused to take him back. “They were to hold a meeting to find a way to allow him back,” he recalled. He said that the locals in 13 VDCs affected by diarrhea started to inform security persons about the patients after awareness campaigns were launched. “They would go to the police and report on patients. However, they would not visit patients´ house or take them to the hospital,” he said.
Speaking of the challenges, Thakur said that on several occasion porters carrying medicines were stopped and robbed by the locals. “Plainclothes soldiers were asked to accompany medical teams with consignment,” he explains. The situation in Rukum can be brought under control if high level of alertness is maintained. “Around 5,000 households in Rukum district do not have toilet,” he explained.
He informs that people started to report deaths caused by other diseases and sought medical recommendation for the same after the government announced compensation for deaths caused by diarrhea. “Four out of 12 people who died in Rukum after the announcement had lost their lives to other diseases. Now we have set up a committee to verify deaths caused by diarrhea,” he says. Dr Thakur, however, is all praise for political parties, security agencies and local administration for their efforts to combat the diarrheal outbreak.
Ministry puts cholera toll at 279
The Health Ministry has put the latest death toll of cholera epidemic at 279 including 141 in Jajarkot.
Organizing a press conference on Wednesday, acting director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division Dr Biswa Raj Khanal said 46 diarrhea deaths have been confirmed in Rukum, 17 in Dailekh and Achham, 14 in Surkhet, nine in Baitadi, six each in Dolpa, Salyan and Bajhang, four each in Rolpa and Dadeldhura, three each in Bajura and Doti, two in Pyuthan and one in Kanchanpur.
The toll is still way below the one claimed by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) which put the toll at 365. Dr GD Thakur, who returned to capital on Monday after serving in Rukum for around a month, said he was in regular contact with all major political parties in the district and there was no discrepancy regarding the death toll in Rukum till he was in-charge a couple of days back.
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