Cholera outbreak confirmed in Birgunj

By Deepak Prasad Gautam,Birgunj, Aug. 24: Cholera outbreak has been confirmed in Birgunj Metropolitan City, Parsa district, with 10 people testing positive for the disease. 

The cases have emerged primarily from the Nagua and Murli areas, where several patients with acute diarrhoea had been admitted to local hospitals. 

Health authorities now fear the disease may be spreading at the community level.

According to the Health and Social Development Division of Birgunj Metropolitan City, the confirmed cases, as of Saturday morning, include residents from the Ward. Nos. 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16, with most cases centred in the Murli and Nagua neighbourhoods.

Raju Sah, an official from the metropolis’s Health Division, reported that three of the confirmed cases were among 30 patients admitted to Tarai Hospital. The infected include a 16-year-old boy, a 24-year-old man, and a 24-year-old woman.

In addition, Dr. Uday Narayan Singh, the Information Officer at Narayani Hospital, confirmed that five of 15 patients were tested positive for cholera there on Saturday morning. 

Two more patients tested positive at Birgunj Healthcare Hospital, according to its director Dr. Abulhais Ansari. He added that over the past 10 days, more than 100 patients suffering from diarrhoea have been admitted for treatment.

Three deaths have also been reported in connection with the diarrhoea outbreak. A young man aged approximately 20 who was undergoing treatment at Birgunj Healthcare Hospital, and a 37-year-old man at Narayani Hospital, died on Friday. 

A third death has also been recorded, though it remains unclear whether all three fatalities were directly caused by cholera, pending laboratory confirmation.

Samples of drinking water from suspected areas have b een collected by a health team led by Dr. Uday Narayan Singh (Narayani Hospital), Jayamod Thakur (District Health Office), and Suman Chandra Thakur (Birgunj Public Health Division). 

The samples have been sent to the Teku-based National Public Health Laboratory in Kathmandu for further analysis, as confirmed by Birgunj Metropolis's Press Advisor Nawaraj Phuyal.

Dr. Singh noted that only 15 patients had been tested so far, and with new patients arriving continuously, the number of confirmed cholera cases is expected to rise. 

Due to overcrowding at Narayani Hospital, some are receiving care on the floor as well due to a lack of space.

Tarai Hospital has reportedly treated over 150 diarrhoea cases in recent days, while Birgunj Healthcare Hospital has around 100 patients under care, with eight to 10 in intensive care units.

Following confirmation of cholera cases, Birgunj Mayor Rajeshman Singh ordered the immediate deployment of health workers to the affected areas from Friday night. 

Efforts are underway to raise public awareness, promote hygiene, and encourage timely medical treatment, especially in Ward Nos. 1 to 16, which are now considered high-risk zones.

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, under the Ministry of Health of the federal government, has dispatched cholera testing kits to Tarai Hospital, Narayani Hospital, and the National Medical College, with further distribution planned. A coordination meeting was held on Saturday between hospital administrators and the municipality to strengthen preparedness and response measures.

Dr. Singh advised that symptoms of cholera include persistent diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, fever, sunken eyes, muscle cramps, and dehydration, all of which can be fatal without timely treatment.