Kathmandu, 29 Aug: The main cause of cholera, which appears as an epidemic every year in Nepal, is drinking water. In previous years, cholera has spread as an epidemic due to sewage mixing with drinking water, sewage water mixing in wells, water pipes bursting and the cholera virus mixing, and eating vegetables containing Vibrio cholerae without washing.
Last year, cholera took the form of an epidemic at the rehabilitation center in Lalitpur. Many people were also affected by cholera in Kathmandu. Cholera spread due to adulteration of rainwater.
Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Dr. Chandrabhal Jha, said that the main reason for the spread of cholera could not be anything other than water and food. Cholera has been confirmed due to drinking sewage water, drinking water without boiling it, and eating vegetables without cleaning. Dr. Jha informed that the main reason for the increase in cholera outbreaks every year is drinking water containing cholera bacteria. He also informed that cholera is spread by a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.
Dr. Jha said that there is a widespread lack of public awareness in the spread of cholera every year. At least if the water is boiled and drunk, the cholera bacteria die and cholera cannot spread. “Wherever cholera has spread in Nepal, there has been a lack of public awareness. Now if we can spread the message that we should only boil water during the rainy season, the cholera epidemic will never occur,” said Dr. Jha.
Mobilize health workers
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population, Dr. Bikash Devkota, to control the cholera epidemic. The meeting was attended by officials from the World Health Organization, Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, and the Department of Health Services. According to Secretary Dr. Devkota, it has been decided to mobilize health workers trained in epidemic control to control the cholera outbreak in Birgunj.
“We have 200 health workers who have received epidemic control training. We will mobilize them to control cholera,” said Secretary Dr. Devkota. He added that a team of personnel trained under the Field Epidemiology Training Program will be formed and mobilized, and that the decision has been made to destroy old water sources and use Piyush (water purification solution) through coordination with municipalities.
The meeting also decided to conduct a survey of water pipelines and carry out maintenance in coordination with the agencies responsible for drinking water. Health Secretary Devkota further stated that there is no shortage of medicines, Piyush, chlorine, and human resources in the areas where cholera has spread. He mentioned that preparations are underway to deploy a five-member team comprising representatives from the federal, provincial, and local levels, as well as the World Health Organization, to work in the epidemic-affected areas.
