Cholera, which has been spreading since Friday in the Birgunj metropolitan area, has not been brought under control. The number of patients in this hospital is increasing day by day. As of Monday evening, 166 patients of diarrhea and cholera are being treated in various hospitals of the metropolis. The number of cholera infected has reached 93.

Those who have been confirmed to have cholera are from 3, 11, 12, 13 and 16 wards of Birganj Metropolitan Municipality. On Monday, 32/32 cholera patients are being treated at Narayani and Tarai Hospitals, 12 at National Medical College, 3/3 at Bhavani, Virganj Health Care and Mangalam Pathology. Similarly, 2 infected people are being treated at Ali Ortho Hospital, Narayani Center, Advance Medicare, Nepal Indo, Neelkanth, Nepal Medici Biodha and Best Hospital.

On Friday, 30 people from Birgunj-12 Murli tol were admitted to Tarai Hospital due to diarrhoea. After a large number of diarrhea patients came at once, the hospital informed the metropolis. Cholera bacteria were found in three people in the tests conducted by Narayani Hospital and Health Office on the same day. After that, the metropolis assigned health workers to the slums to search for patients. 

The cause of the outbreak of cholera is still not clear. Suspecting the spread of infection from water, the technicians of the Ministry of Water Supply Regional Office, Janakpur, collected water samples from Birganj-11, 12 and 13 on Saturday, which were distributed by the Birganj Branch of the Drinking Water Institute. Engineer Sanjiv Yadav, information officer of Birgunj branch of the institute, said that the water test report could not be received till Monday evening. 

On Monday, the Minister of Health and Population of the Federal Government, Pradeep Paudel, has instructed to treat diarrhea and cholera patients free of charge at Narayani Hospital. In a discussion with the stakeholders held at Narayani Hospital in Birgunj, he also directed to conduct laboratory tests free of charge. Minister Poudel has instructed not to pay any fees after it was found that the hospital had ordered the patients to buy some medicines. 

Stating that all three levels of the government will be committed to prevent drug shortages during the disaster, Minister Paudel informed that efforts are being made to prevent shortage of manpower in hospitals in the affected areas. He also asked private hospitals to show humanity in times of crisis. "The ministry also provides kits and medicines to private hospitals," he said, "because of that, patients had to be exempted during the disaster." Minister Paudel said that if the cause of cholera spread is found in time, it will not spread further. 

Stakeholders have emphasized to adopt a one-way policy in the distribution of medicinal materials in the affected areas to bring effectiveness in infection control. In a discussion with representatives of the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization, UNICEF, Provincial Health Directorate and Metropolitan Health Branch, Rajeshman Singh, the head of Birgunj Metropolitan said that it appears that private hospitals are trying to sell kits in the name of testing, and said that the government will provide the kits for free.  In the

discussion, Vishal Subedi, public health administrator of the Ministry of Health, emphasized that government health institutions should be made the main centers of treatment. He said that it would be appropriate for private health institutions to adopt the same standards for the treatment of diarrheal diseases.