Posted by Dan Schwarz
It has now been several weeks since our last update on the cholera epidemic that has plagued Achham and other parts of Nepal in recent months, and we are happy to report that it has been waning as the monsoon season comes to an end.
At Bayalpata Hospital, we have seen well over 500 cases of severe diarrhea, although we believe that this represents only a small percentage of the disease that existed in the surrounding communities. In addition to the typically long journeys required for our patients to access health services (some in excess of a day’s walk), the monsoon season makes travel especially difficult for our patients. Continual and torrential rains degrade the quality of the already poor roads, prohibiting many patients from coming at all, relegating them to their communities despite debilitating diarrhea and other illnesses. Thus, while we have only recorded one death at the Hospital, we are aware that many more have occurred beyond the reach of our staff’s care.
Diarrheal disease can cause severe dehydration and can require inpatient treatment with fluids and mineral supplementation
Nyaya Health staff had the fortune of being warned of cases from other, nearby districts, prior to encountering any cases in our own region. Because of this, extra medical supplies to treat diarrheal disease were ordered, and despite delays in shipping (common for Nyaya due to the long distances that supplies must travel to reach our rural district), we received the necessary medicines in time to appropriately respond as we eventually began to see diarrhea rise in our own area.
Unfortunately, due to the large numbers of people requiring treatment at the beginning of July, our newly-opened hospital emergency room was overwhelmed with patients. After hours of walking through difficult terrain—some patients so weak that they had to be carried in by relatives—the dehydration and weakness caused by their illness was severe, often leading to very dire situations. While many patients were able to be treated on an outpatient basis, we have also had many patients who required intensive inpatient monitoring before returning home.
We are proud to report that, despite this epidemic occurring prior to the planned opening of the Bayalpata Hospital’s new inpatient ward, our staff met these challenging circumstances with resolve. In the face of an overwhelming number of patients in our emergency room, they pushed forward with the opening of the inpatient services earlier than planned, creating an ad hoc ward to deal specifically with the cholera patients. As we look to the future, our ward services will be expanded to greater capacity, enabling Nyaya to offer more comprehensive health services to the people of Achham.
[...] the people of Achham face. Over the summer, Nyaya staff treated over 500 patients during a cholera epidemic, saving countless lives. More recently, heavy monsoon rains in the month of October destroyed [...]