Jaundice in earthquake-affected children

Due to Jaundice recently, not only children but also adults, elderly people, women are all affected. Now two/three people are seen with jaundice in one house. School age children are most affected by jaundice in all the slums of Dharma.

As the number of jaundice patients started to increase, the number of patients in 8 health institutions of 6 wards of the municipality started to increase. Due to the lack of facilities for jaundice testing in those health institutions, the patients had to go to District Hospital Salyan and Mission Hospital at Chaurzahari in Rukum West.

Purna Bahadur KC of Dharma-2 said that a week ago, his four-year-old son had jaundice at home, and now his other son has also seen it. He complains that he has to go to the district hospital and private clinics for more treatment as the municipal health institution has only basic facilities. Principal Meen Bahadur Oli said that in Janjyoti High School in Farulachaur of Darma Rural Municipality, four/five students from each class are sick with jaundice. He informed that the school was closed for two days due to the hot summer and children falling ill.

Even though the municipality has been advising to pay attention to cleanliness, boil water and eat plenty of soft foods, Jaundice disease has started to become an epidemic due to negligence, said Yagya Bahadur Basnet, head of Darma rural municipality health branch. He said that 100 children were affected a week ago, but now it has reached more than 300.

He said that children with jaundice have fever, diarrhea, vomiting, reluctance to eat, and are losing weight, and since treatment is not possible in the municipality's health institutions, they are given medicine for fever and diarrhea and advised to pay attention to hygiene and eating habits.

Health worker Yagya Bahadur Khadka said that out of 15/20 people who come for daily treatment at the Community Health Unit Center Dhakadam, 6/7 have symptoms of jaundice. He informed that after examining the children who came to the unit center, they were advised to go to the hospital running the laboratory service for blood tests.

After the earthquake of last November 17, due to lack of proper management of housing and food, children are suffering from fever, pneumonia, and diarrhea, but there has been no human loss so far.