Bird flu in Pokhara

Hundreds of diseased fowls were culled in Kaski’s Lekhnath Kalikachowk, following confirmation of bird flu in the area, on Tuesday. About 555 chickens and 40 kg chicken-feed were destroyed at a poultry farm owned by Basant Shrestha, said Dr Bansi Sharma, director, Regional Livestock Directorate. On Monday, the lab test confirmed bird flu in the dead fowls sent by the poultry farm seven days ago. Shrestha’s farm will be put under surveillance for three months. Dr Sharma said the farm owner will be compensated.

Published on: 14th May, 2013

Source: The Himalayan Times

More pollution in city air as people battling breathing problems

More pollution in city air as people battling breathing problems

KATHMANDU, MAY 06 -

Anu Shahi, 22, who lives in the Airport area in Kathmandu, would not worry about the occasional ‘breathing difficulty’ that she used to experience. She took it as most people in the city would do—casually.

The chokabloc traffic and the polluted air, made worse by the road expansion drive, might have something to do with the breathing problems, Shahi thought. “However, the condition became frequent and worse and went to a point where I felt like my breathing has stopped,” she told the Post. “I went to see a doctor and learnt that I had developed asthma.”

Shahi remained under medication for six months, until a week ago. She said she is faring well now.

With most of the road sections lying in a neglected state, the onset of the summer season and the strong winds mean an increase in respiratory problems and eye irritations due to the rising dust level in the valley. The Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC) has so far demolished and expanded 140 km of the road, among which only 15 km have been blacktopped. KVTDIC still plans to bulldoze 260 km as part of the expansion drive.

Madan Karki, 45, a patient of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said he has stopped jogging on the roadsides ever since the road expansion work began in the Babarmahal area. “You cannot jog in the alleys here. At least in the morning your body demands an open space,” Karki said. “I tried it for a few days, but since my problem started to worsen I thought I should stop than to risk my life.” Chest specialist Dr Dirghasingh Bam said the dry environment, along with the debris following the road expansion, has added to the woes of people living in Kathmandu. 

“It is hard to say if people develop chronic respiratory diseases just because of the debris. However, I get young patients with respiratory problems and influenza, which is perhaps a result of the dusty environment everywhere around,” he said. “The haze is dangerous for patients suffering from asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases.” Dr Bam urged the government to complete some destroyed portions of the road first, before moving on to dig other areas.

Data at the Tribhuvan Univeristy Teaching Hospital show that 377 patients with COPD had been admitted in the hospital in 2011, while 548 had been admitted in 2012. The hospital says that since these are chronic patients and require special medical attention, many patients with minor problems visit the OPD of the hospital every day. 

Dr Kabir Nath Yogi, in-charge of the Respiratory Disease Unit at the hospital, said people are likely to develop breathing problems due to the dust. However, he said since people develop minor problems, most of them end up in diagnostic centres and clinics in their community instead of coming to the hospital. He said children are particularly prone to pneumonia due to the dust.

Chest specialist at the Bir Hospital Dr Kiran Manadhar said he sees many patients with recurring COPD. “Although the effect of the dust may not be seen immediately, there could be a big public health problem if the roads are left incomplete for a long time,” he said. “To patients with chronic pulmonary disease, all we can say is don’t get out of your homes.” Doctors suggest the use of clean face masks is the only option for the people to be safe. They also say that the masks have to be changed on a regular basis. 

Apart from respiratory diseases, eye infection remains a major problem. Further, the unmanaged roadside eateries and street food have complicated matters. Eye specialist at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital Dr Ananda Sharma said children visiting the hospital with allergic eyes is common these days.

Dr Sharma suggests people use protective sun glasses, while he says those riding motorcycles should use visors in their helmets.

Chief of the KVTDIC Bhai Kaji Tiwari said the road expansion drive has slowed down following complaints of health complications. “However, we will not stop bulldozing the encroached structures,” he said.

Source: The Kantipur Daily

Summer scares Water and food-borne diseases

Summer scares Water and food-borne diseases

MAY 06 - 

Summer has arrived in Kathmandu. With the temperature rising, fruits stalls have cropped up on road-sides, selling fresh juice and cut fruits. Ice cream parlours and cold-drink stores are crowded as well. Although the city’s road expansion drives have made the roads here dustier, people still flock to street-side food offerings. But there are consequences. Just a few weeks ago, we had lots of patients coming in for check-ups related to allergies and coughing provoked by the dusty streets. More recently, however, we’ve seen more and more cases of diarrhoea and abdominal pain, with or without vomiting—symptoms suggestive of gastroenteritis. Cases of typhoid are also on the rise, and sure to worsen with the advent of the monsoon. These food and water-borne diseases, after all, always pose a threat to people in summer months in a country like ours where conditions of food hygiene and water sanitation leave a lot to be desired. 

Drinking water is indispensible for human existence. But the Kathmandu Valley suffers major crises when it comes to its drinking water supply. Nearly all the surface and ground-water sources have been exploited, and the growing imbalance between supply and demand has led to shortages and intense competition that has further resulted in the pollution and qualitative degradation of drinking water in the Valley—a grave public health issue. The Valley has, in fact, earned the unfortunate moniker of being the ‘typhoid capital’ of the world. 

Diseases caused by contaminated water are among the 10 most prevalent in Nepal. These are largely caused by micro-organisms present in human or animal faeces that find their way into our bodies via the mouth (orally). This may happen through drinking from a contaminated water source (water-borne), but more often, faecal-oral diseases are spread through other routes as well—hands, clothes, food, or materials used in cooking, eating or drinking. These diseases are highly infectious, and can spread from one person to another. And the only way to prevent this would be to maintain high standards of hygiene and sanitation. 

The main water-borne/faeco-oral diseases in Nepal are typhoid fever, giardiasis, dysentery, diarrhoea, hepatitis and worms. These diseases are responsible for much morbidity and mortality in the country every summer. Diarrhoea, for instance, which refers to the passing of three or more loose stools per day, can lead to severe dehydration and the patient may need to be resuscitated in a hospital setting. Then you have typhoid, characterised by high-grade fever, vomiting, with or without diarrhoea; if it is not detected and treated in time, it could lead to complications like ulceration and bleeding in the intestine and perforation. Giardiasis, on the other hand, comprises of diarrhoea, loss of appetite and abdominal discomfort. If left untreated, it colonises the duodenum—the first part of the small intestine—and causes chronic mal-absorption. Meanwhile, hepatitis, commonly known as jaundice, is caused by the Hepatitis virus A and E, and can at times be very serious and life-threatening. Dystentry is what we define as the passing of frequent loose stools mixed with blood, and is associated with abdominal cramps. Treatment with appropriate drugs along with correction of dehydration is the usual line of management. And finally, we have the various types of parasitic worms that might cause pain in the abdomen and diarrhoea. The ova of these worms generally enter the human body via contaminated green vegetables, food and water.

Ultimately, lack of proper hand hygiene, use of contaminated sources of drinking water, and consumption of uncovered food with flies hovering all over—these are some of the causes of the increased incidence of the above-mentioned diseases in our country. In the absence of proper water supply, and proper monitoring of water at the government level, we need to be vigilant ourselves with regards to the water we drink and the food we eat. We should avoid buying from open food and fruit stalls that function on a limited supply of water of doubtful quality. We need to be sure about the quality of our water at the source and also in storage vessels. And flies are another of our worst enemies; all our food should be protected from them as far as possible. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to keep safe from water/food/fly-borne diseases is to revert to chlorinated drinking water. We should also remember to drink more water in general as a rule, as well as adhere to proper hand washing principles. And more emphasis certainly needs to be put on the availability and maintenance of toilets in Nepal. Only then can we be assured of a disease-free summer, and indeed good health all-year round. 

Dr Neopane is a Senior Consultant Physician at Norvic International Hospital

Source: The Kantipur Daily

Warning issued on water borne diseases

Warning issued on water borne diseases

KATHMANDU: 

Kathmandu District Public Health Office (KDPHO) today ordered health institutions to report cases of water borne diseases to enable immediate response so as to tackle the diseases. Shree Krishna Bhatta, chief of KDPHO, said the office will also broadcast a message on using clean drinking water and consuming safe food through local FM stations in Kathmandu.      

The only way to lessen the risk of communicable diseases is to pay attention to food and drinking habits and referring people with symptoms to the nearest hospital, said Bhatta. Till date, the capital has not recorded any outbreak of water borne diseases.               

Epidemiology and Disease Control Division at the Health Ministry said it has already directed DPHOs to maintain daily record of patients suffering from waterborne diseases during the dry season. The division has also issued a nationwide circular asking DPHOs not to sanction any general leave to health workers from mid-April to mid-September.    

Emergency leave should only be allowed after making arrangements for an alternative health worker, said the circular.The division has also directed to engage in active case detection if more than five patients are diagnosed with water borne diseases at the same place or deaths are reported at the same place.

Source: The Himalayan Times

30th April, 2013 

Bird flu in Bhairahawa 

BHAIRAHAWA: 

After Chitwan and Rupandehi, bird flu cases have been reported in Bhairahawa on Thursday. Laxman Dhakal, chief of the District Livestock Office, Rupendehi, said the virus has been confirmed at Sandip Poultry Farm, after samples collected from the farm tested positive. The farm belongs to Dirganarayan Yadav at Pokharvindi VDC. Dhakal said four fowls were culled in the farm. More than 200 poultry farms are registered in the district. He said an awareness programme against bird flu needs to be conducted in the district. 

Source: The Himalayan Times 

April 25th , 2013

Govt to distribute over 2.5m mosquito nets

Govt to distribute over 2.5m mosquito nets

KATHMANDU,

In its efforts to meet the national target of controlling malaria by 2015, the government is planning to distribute over 2.5 million Insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs). The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) under the Department of Health services plans to distribute 2,574,932 ITNs in 31 districts affected by malaria.

As the country marked World Malaria Day on Thursday, Chief of the EDCD Dr GD Thakur said they will distribute 1.4 million nets this fiscal year, while the remaining will be disturbed next year. The government will provide one net for two people aged more than five in each household, while pregnant women will be given the nets during their routine pregnancy check-up. Earlier, the government had provided the nets to only 13 districts bordering India.

However, this time, apart from 10 districts in the Himalaya region, the government will provide the nets to 13 most vulnerable and 18 vulnerable districts. The 13 districts that the programme covered earlier were Jhapa, Ilam, Morang, Dhanusa, Mohattari, Sindhuli, Kavre, Nawalparasi, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura and Banke. 

The added districts include Panchthar, Dhankuta, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Udayapur, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Sindhupalchowk, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Surkhet and Doti. According to the EDCD, around 20.5 million people of 65 districts are affected by malaria.The government has also been conducting malaria control programmes with support from the Global Fund since 2004. 

The EDCD says that the number of confirmed malaria casese has decreased by 1/3 in comparison to 2004. Statistics show there are over 3,200 malaria cases in Nepal at present.  

Malaria is caused in humans through the sting of the anopheles mosquito. According to the World Health Organization, the first symptoms of malaria are fever, headache, chills and vomiting, which may be mild and difficult to recognise as malaria.It says that if not treated within 24 hours, the P falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness often leading to death. Children with severe malaria frequently develop one or more symptoms, including severe anaemia.

Source: The Kantipur Daily

APR 26, 2013 

 

Bird flu in chitwan : Farmers report Rs 60 million loss

Bird flu in Chitwan : Farmers report Rs 60 million loss

CHITWAN, APR 24 -

A recurrence of the bird flu pandemic in Chitwan has put at risk investments worth millions of rupees. The southern district has witnessed several bird flu outbreaks this year. According to poultry farmers, the pandemic has caused losses estimated at Rs 60 million. Investments in poultry farming in Chitwan amount to around Rs 25 billion. The district is the heart of the country’s poultry business.

On Monday, cases of bird flu were confirmed at two more farms. Ram Kumar Karki, chief of the District Livestock Service Office in Chitwan, said that around 2,876 fowls at the farm of Chitra Raj Shrestha in Bharatpur Municipality and 3,175 chickens and 300 eggs at the farm of Ram Babu Thapaliya in Mangalpur VDC were destroyed on Monday night. 

According to him, bird flu has been seen in five places in Chitwan in recent times. There are 500 farms raising layer chickens and 1,000 farms raising broiler chickens in the district. Layer chickens are raised for eggs while broilers are raised for meat production. There are 10 layer chicken and 45 broiler chicken hatcheries in the district. An estimated 60,000 people are directly employed in poultry farming. 

Chandra Man Shrestha, president of the Poultry Entrepreneurs Forum, said that the disease spread rapidly due to delays in confirming the outbreak by government officials. As tests have to be confirmed by the Central Laboratory, it takes a lot of time. “As a result, the disease spread rapidly.” 

He added that if infected chickens were culled immediately, it would slow down the spread of the disease. Some big firms do not wait for the test results after they suspect an outbreak. They take action immediately to prevent it from spreading. “They slaughter the chickens by themselves and then bury them. The reason is that they fear losing the market,” Shrestha said.   Two weeks ago, bird flu was seen at the farm of Pratap Thapa in Saradpur which contained around 4,000 chickens. Livestock officers culled 2,200 chickens, while the rest of the infected chickens were found dead on the farm.  

Last Friday, the disease was detected on the farms of Laxmi Rana at Basanta Chowk in Bharatpur and Rajendra Hamal at Mangalpur. After the outbreak, 28,575 chickens were slaughtered at the two farms.

According to the forum, Rana suffered a loss of Rs 40 million while Hamal lost around Rs 2.5 million. “We will recommend to the government to compensate the losses,” Karki said. “We cannot recommend compensation for chickens that have died on the farm.” Poultry entrepreneurs said that it costs Rs 500 to Rs 600 to raise a layer chicken. However, the government pays Rs 130 for a chicken and Rs 3 for an egg as compensation.

Nimbus announces relief for bird flu hit farm

Nimbus Group under its recently launched ‘Bird Flu Relief Fund’ will provide Rs 419,250 in compensation to bird flu hit farmer Rajendra Hamal in Chitwan, the group has said in a statement.Hamal farm was recently declared bird flu hit farm by the government. The Rapid Response Team under the Department of Livestock Services on April 19 slaughtered 3,225 layer birds in his farm.

The relief amount will be provided as per the data of the government in ‘certificate of destruction’. In January, Nimbus had compensated Rs 343,200 to layers farmers at Sitapaila in Kathmandu. Nimbus, the producer of Shakti brand of feed, had declared the relief scheme on December 9, 2012.

Source: The Kantipur Daily