Abstract
Background: Diarrhea is a major public health problem in Nepal. Recently, there was an outbreak of diarrheal diseases in different districts of mid and far western region of Nepal and the most affected district was Jajarkot. The objective of this study was to detect the causative organism and analyze the epidemic outbreak patterns of diarrhea in selected health institutions in Jajarkot district, Midwestern Region of Nepal, in terms of their demographic characteristics and laboratory findings of stool specimens. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using secondary data from health institutions of two Village Development committees of Jajarkot. Stool samples were collected purposively to identify the agents of diarrheal diseases. Results: Out of the total 13 stool samples tested, 5 were diagnosed as harboring Vibrio cholerae. The Attack Rate and Case Fatality Ratio were calculated to be 8.2% and 1% respectively for the District. Age groups 15-44 were highly affected; male and female were approximately equally affected. Conclusions: Cholera appears to have been the most important cause for mortality in Jajarkot diarrhea outbreak. The diarrhea outbreak in any districts of Nepal should be closely monitored for the possibility of a Cholera epidemic in the future. Key words: cholera; diarrhea; epidemic; outbreak. DOI: 10.3126/jnhrc.v7i2.3008 Journal of Nepal Health Research Council Vol.7(2) Apr 2009 66-68
Highlights
Diarrhea is a major public health problem in Nepal
The first four weeks starting from third week of March 2009 indicate a steady rise in morbidity with no reported cases of mortality
Clinical presentation of extensive watery loose motion, vomiting and rapid dehydration of diarrhea cases leading to death in a short time had raised suspicion about the possibility of cholera infection in Jajarkot and Midwest diarrhea epidemic
Summary
Diarrhea is a major public health problem in Nepal It is characterized by the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day, or more frequently than is normal for the individual.[1] The infection may be spread through contaminated food or drinking-water, or from person to person as a result of poor hygiene.[1] It is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in many regions of the world, with more than 4 billion cases and 2.5 million deaths estimated to occur annually.[2]. There was an outbreak of diarrheal diseases in different districts of mid and far western region of Nepal and the most affected district was Jajarkot.The objective of this study was to detect the causative organism and analyze the epidemic outbreak patterns of diarrhea in selected health institutions in Jajarkot district, Midwestern Region of Nepal, in terms of their demographic characteristics and laboratory findings of stool specimens
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